Beacon's Blue Knight
by DemonBlade1410
Summary: Nineteen year old Jaye Ryder has been living a pretty tough life so far since his parents died and he dropped out of signal. Living on the streets for four years, he is found by Professor Ozpin and taken to Beacon. In the meantime, Ruby Rose is also brought into Beacon, and to her surprise at the end of her initiation, what was supposed to be team RWBY is now team RRWBY? Yang x OC
1. Chapter 1

Sorry, this is a re-upload, because some stuff happened and my chapters got messed up.

Hey guys, so recently I've gotten into this series, and binge watched all four seasons in one night. I really love the series, and I don't know about yall, but I kinda miss the crazy insane, super-fast and absolutely spectacular over the top fights from the first three seasons. While the new animation style in season 4 makes it easier to o the eyes for general scenes and dialogue especially, I really miss the insanity of the old fights, because they were…well….insane and I loved it. AND MERCURY IS THE COOLEST CHARACTER EVER ALKSJDFNALJKNDVVJLASNDKFLJNKA DNLDALKJDFNLJKANA seriously why is he so cool why does he have to be a villain. Although I think he wouldn't be quite as cool if he was a good guy. BUT ANYWAYS enough about my rants, that's boring for you guys as well, so let's get into it. Brief rundown, this is, like with my other stories, what I would be like if I were living in their world, and I joined beacon to be a hunter. This story will be essentially a retelling of the events that occur, but from my perspective with my presence there and my contribution. BUT I will do my best not to change any major events, SO DO NOT REQUEST ME TO CHANGE PYRRHA'S DEATH BECAUSE AS SAD AS IT WAS, I LOVED THAT THEY INCLUDED IT. Her death was so symbolic as the pyrrhic victory and opened up room for so much character development for Jeanne, and I love it. SO THAT IS STAYING. I'm too lazy to write in a proper intro, so this is only for people who have watched the series and get what's going on. This is going to begin on the way to beacon, right in the first episode.

* * *

A young boy sat in a small dark room, huddled behind a large metal table, nothing but a small table lamp illuminating his surroundings. He squinted into his surroundings, trying to get his bearings, and possibly find a way to escape the mall stuffy room. He leaned over the table, staring at the light, taking note of the pieces that could be removed and wondered if he could find something in there that would make a good lock pick. As he was doing so, the heavy door in front of him clamored as a key turned in the lock, and winced at the screeching of the rusty hinges as the door swung open.

A man with silvery white hair and a strange looking pair of spectacles appeared in the doorway, flanked by a prison guard and a blond woman wearing what looked like a witch's cape. He narrowed his eyes at the group, shifting uneasily in his chair. The white-haired man smiled.

'Hello son, how are you?' He said, stepping slowly into the room, the blond close behind him, watching the boy cautiously. The boy looked away, fingering the edge of his chair and stared back at the lamp. The man sat down in the chair opposite him, looking quietly at the boy.

'What do you want?' The boy spoke defiantly, his voice deep and cold, chilling to the bone. The man leaned back in his chair. He placed his hands on the table, twiddling his thumbs.

'My name is Professor Ozpin. I am the headmaster of Beacon Academy, a place where young and talented people such as yourself go to learn to be hunters and huntresses. It's a prestigious academy, I'm sure someone of your…capabilities, would do well there.' He said with a gentle smile. The boy looked up, finally meeting the man's gaze. His gaze was cold and uncaring, nearly lifeless and so wholly blank that Ozpin felt like he was looking at a wall.

'And why would I want that? A _prestigious_ academy filled with kids my age so absolutely _excited_ with what life has in store for them sounds like the least attractive offer possible.' The boy shot back, lowering his gaze to his lap and shifting nonchalantly.

'Besides, I don't have any money. I couldn't pay the school fees even if I wanted to.' He sighed, leaning back in his chair, and Ozpin chuckled. He pulled his scroll out of his pocket, pulling up a file. Staring from the other side, he saw his own picture there, sitting above lines of text. Ozpin scrutinized it for a minute.

'Mister Jaye Ryder? Interesting profile you have here. Aside from the charges for theft and other petty crimes, it says you trained in Signal Academy for one year, entering when you were fourteen, left at fifteen, after attaining a record of 33 wins to zero losses in official matches. Now nineteen years old, with no subsequent employment or education records.' Ozpin put down the scroll, resuming his thumb twiddling with a small smirk on his face.

'Any particular reason?' He asked, looking pointedly at the boy, Jaye. Jaye snorted and turned away.

'Got sick of the school. That sums it up. You want to explain why I'm here?' He fixed his cold gaze on the headmaster, who continued smiling at him.

'How would you like to attend Beacon?' Jaye looked up incredulously.

'Not a chance in hell.' He spat, kicking at the table leg, and Ozpin grinned at him.

'Well, it's either going to Beacon, and allowing us to develop your talents, or going under intensive watch in a boy's rehabilitation center. Trust me when I tell you, between the two, Beacon is a far better option.' He smiled broadly at Jaye, who looked away in disgust.

'Goddammit.' He swore, slamming his head down on the table.

* * *

Two Weeks Later

* * *

Jaye jerked awake, smacking his head into the window of the airship behind him. He rubbed his head, groaning, and wondered what it was that woke him up when he was having a perfectly good nap, before becoming aware of a girl's voice speaking loudly close by to him.

'Oooh I can't believe my baby sister's going to beacon with me. This is the best day ever!' A blond girl wearing yellow gauntlets squealed in excitement, hugging a dark-haired girl in a red hood so tightly she looked like she was about to suffocate. Jaye sized her up with a glance.

' _Good muscle development, those gauntlets are probably extendable. Are those shotgun cartridges? Probably. So, a shot type martial artist huh? Probably won't be that much of a challenge.'_ He thought to himself, his eyes falling on her not so modest outfit that hardly covered her fairly large rack. Jaye smirked in appreciation, leaning his head back against the glass as they continued their conversation.

'Please stop' the dark haired girl gasped out, and Jaye noticed that there were red highlights in her hair. He wondered to himself if they were natural, his gaze falling back to the blonde girl's rack.

'But I'm so proud of you Ruby!' The blonde squealed again, her voice rising in excitement, and Jaye winced at the rising pitch. If there was one thing he didn't appreciate, it was over excitement.

' _Seriously, how do people get excited by everything? Isn't it tiring?'_ He internally groaned, rubbing his hand across his temples.

'Really Yang, it was nothing.' Ruby replied mutedly, her nervousness showing through on her face, and the blonde girl, Yang, rolled her eyes.

'What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!' She exclaimed, much to Ruby's dismay. Jaye smirked again, looking at the dark-haired girl, Ruby. He noted her fairly large weapon in contrast to her small size, but couldn't tell what it was in its retracted state. He assessed the rail slide and bolt, the only definitive aspect he could see.

' _Probably a bolt-action rifle of sorts, most likely a sniper. It's probably got a melee function too. She wouldn't even be worth fighting.'_ He thought to himself, closing his eyes again and shutting out the rest of their conversation. He shot awake again only a few moments later, when he felt something collide with his knee, and opened his eyes to see a blond boy stumble almost drunkenly past him, hand over his mouth, looking like he was ready to puke.

'Well…I guess the view isn't for everyone.' Yang commented, staring at the boy with a half-concerned half-grossed out look on her face.

'It was a nice moment while it lasted.' Ruby replied, staring out of the window at the massive Beacon academy in the distance.

'I wonder who we're gonna meet?' Yang asked, gazing out of the window with her.

' _Hopefully not me'_ Jaye thought to himself, picking himself out of his chair as they closed in on the school, stretching out his stiff muscles and rubbing his neck, narrowly avoiding the small splotch of throw-up that was stuck to the floor in front of him. He started towards the doorway, slinging his weapons over his back and waist.

His weapons consisted of two swords, one short, one long, and a shield. The long blade had a single cutting edge, and was about twice the size of his fist in width, with a slanted crossguard that angled forward over the first two fingers when held. The sword itself was a dark blue, with a black cutting edge and black accents on the blade. The handle was wrapped in plain black leather rings with a dark blue butt end. This sword was slotted into a holster on his back, with the shield, also dark blue and black, magnetized onto the front of the holster and held against his back.

His second sword was similar in design and accents, retaining the dark blue and black color scheme and the black ringed handle wrappings. The sword was shorter than the first, with a blade that extended over his hand and fingers, ending at the butt of the handle, fully covering his fingers from attacks and damage. This sword was slotted into a holster on the back of his waist. This allowed him easy access to both swords with the respective hands he typically held them with, while also providing access to his shield with either hand should he choose to use only one blade.

His weapons caught the eye of Ruby, but before she could say anything, he had stepped into the crowd of people gathering in front of the doors.

* * *

Jaye stepped out of the airship, shielding his eyes from the sun as he began to disembark with everyone else. He paused for a moment in the plaza, his black hair waving slightly in the wind, and looked up at the massive castle of Beacon. He had to admit, it was an impressive sight. It was beautiful, with immaculate design, and he felt the need to stand and appreciate it for a few moments. His view was then instantly ruined by a girl's voice cutting into his conscious.

'OOH OOH SIS, that boy's got a collapsible staff. AND THAT GIRL HAS A FIRE SWORD' Ruby started after an unseen weapon of her admiration, an almost narcotic look on her face as she went on autopilot after it. Yang dragged her back by the heels.

'Easy there little sister, they're just weapons.' Yang said, and Ruby whirled to face her.

'JUST WEAPONS? They're an extension of ourselves, they're a part of us! Oh they're so cool!' She squealed, sending a wave of utter irritation through Jaye's head. At this point he began walking away, shutting their conversation out of his head, before he heard a sound like a blade being unsheathed. He turned to see the dark-haired girl holding a scythe over her shoulder.

' _A scythe huh? I sure hope that's not the only melee mode it has or she's going to seriously suffer in close combat practice.'_ Jaye smirked as he continued watching. He couldn't see any other mechanisms that hinted at it having any other functions other than the two he had already noted, and he started to wonder just how big of an idiot she really was.

He also noted that the blond girl Yang was now a sizeable distance away with a much larger group of people, and carried on watching as Ruby fell into a pile of luggage, sneezed, and finally blew up a silver haired girl that he had honestly heard before seeing. He listened to her arrogant and whiny voice, and finally recognized her as Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company.

' _Right, THAT company. The one famous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners.'_ He thought to himself, smirking as a dark haired girl wearing a black bow on her head mentioned his exact thoughts.

'What-how dare-! The nerve of-!' the would-be heiress stuttered, before giving up on the thought, snatching the bottle of dust out of the bow-wearing girl's hand and stalking off. Jaye chuckled to himself at the flustered girl, picking up another bottle of dust that had rolled near his feet. He noted the snowflake insignia on it.

' _Well, she's gone already, so why not?'_ He smiled internally, pocketing the bottle. He pulled out his scroll, flipping it on, and realized he had no idea where to go from there. As he was doing so, he noticed the blond boy from the ship approach Ruby.

'Hey…I'm Jaune' He introduced himself, offering her his hand. Ruby took it gratefully, and he saw her snort slightly with laughter. The pair started off, and since it seemed like they knew where they were going, Jaye decided to follow them.

Stupid mistake

* * *

Hey so that's the end of this first chapter, hope you guys enjoy it. I really won't be posting much because SCHOOL AND STUDIES ADJAKLJDLSFAKDLAKSJ but it's okay because I will do my best to update here and my other stories as well. Till then, chill out, have some ice-cream, and don't forget to follow and review.


	2. Chapter 2

Yo wassup guys, back with another new chapter, because I was inspired to rewatch RWBY after listening to their OST while studying XD Anyone else just really love the song Dream Come True? I love it, but it's officially the saddest song ever now. SO enough of the feels train I CAN'T HANDLE IT. SO yeah, let's get going.

* * *

Jaye slapped his hand into his face for the third time in five minutes. He couldn't believe that he'd done something as stupid as following two idiots for almost ten minutes before realizing the two had no idea where they were going. And what was worse was that he hadn't realized that his schedule for the first day was inside his messages inbox, long with a MAP of the school campus for his referral. He slapped his hand into his face again and groaned as he reached the tall arches of the main hall.

He made his way inside as inconspicuously as possible, shrinking in on himself to avoid being seen, especially by the blonde girl, Yang, who was standing just by the doors.

'Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot.' Jaye flinched at the sudden loud voice, and realized that Yang had virtually appeared next to him, thankfully not noticing or paying any attention to him, but wondered how on earth it was that he was perpetually stuck close by to them. He tried his best to quietly maneuver away, but the crowd around him was too thick for him to pass through. He groaned to himself, and flinched again when an extremely annoying and unfortunately familiar voice cut into his ears again.

'YOU!' Jaye groaned and turned to see Weiss Schnee walking in his direction. He placed his hand over the pouch on his waist where his _rightfully_ (okay not really) obtained bottle of dust was stashed, and prepared to make a break for it.

'Oh God it's happening again' Ruby cried, hopping into Yang's arms. Weiss bore down on the poor girl, and Jaye internally heaved a sigh of relief.

'You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!' She screamed at the hooded girl, and even Jaye felt a pang of sympathy at the terrified and tortured look that was set in the girl's face.

'Oh my god you really exploded.' Yang said disbelievingly, and Weiss only seemed to get angrier.

'It was an accident. It was an accident!' Ruby defended fervently, panic evident in her voice as the silver haired girl continued to bear down on her like a wolf on an innocent little girl (get the reference? GET IT?). She started slightly as a pamphlet was shoved in her face. Jaye nearly burst out laughing at the title, "Dust For Dummies And Other Inadequate Individuals"

'The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company Product. Although not mandatoryblahblahblahblahblah….' Jaye struggled to keep a straight face at the overwhelmed look on Ruby's face as Weiss continued to prattle off the Schnee Dust Company's product policy.

' _God this bitch is annoying.'_ Jaye thought to himself, laughing internally at the nearly machine gun like speech that was firing from the heiress's mouth. Ruby went almost completely cross-eyed and looked just about ready to pass out.

' _Oh wait, she's almost done.'_ He thought, not even bothering to try to hide his grin at the scene unfolding before him.

'You really want to start making things up to me?' Weiss questioned, and Ruby looked twice as terrified as before.

'Absolutely!' She squeaked, and Weiss shoved the pamphlet in her face.

'Read this and don't ever speak to me again.' Weiss turned on her heel and stalked off. She stopped halfway, turning back.

'And you'd better return that bottle of dust you stole.' Weiss spat, and Ruby's face almost contorted in on itself in both fear and confusion. Jaye quietly hugged his pouch closer to himself and turned away from the group.

'I didn't take your dust, I promise you! I really didn't!' Ruby squealed, her voice rising in pitch, and Weiss looked just about ready to burst in anger.

'Well if you didn't take it then who did?' She yelled accusatively, and Ruby assumed the fetal position out of sheer terror. A look of realization dawned on Weiss's face.

'That bow-headed thief!' She turned haughtily and stalked off. Jaye heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed his grip. Yang picked the still fetal Ruby off the ground.

'It's okay sis, she's gone now.' She cooed to the sniffling Ruby, rubbing comforting circles on her back. Jaye wondered if he ought to say something to her, at least apologize for her getting accused of his thievery, but his thoughts were interrupted by a microphone turning on.

'I'll keep this brief.' Professor Ozpin's voice sounder over the chatter, and the room went dead silent. Jaye instantly switched on 'tune out' mode, and shut his brain down.

* * *

Time Skip

* * *

'It's like a big slumber party!' Yang exclaimed, flopping down beside Ruby. Jaye, sitting next to Yang, was ready to kill himself right there. As usual, with his ridiculously dumb luck, the transport ship that was carrying his luggage had misplaced it in a different storage compartment, and resultantly he'd had to wait an extra hour before he could collect it.

As a result, he'd gotten to the ballroom later then everyone else, and was thus stuck as the one person without choice of sleeping area. Yang, noticing his plight, had directed him to the empty space next to her, unabashed, and Jaye had resigned himself to his fate of not sleeping early that night, predicting that Yang's incessant chatter would keep him up regardless of how good he was at tuning out the people around him.

On the bright side, maybe when she finally went to sleep he could content himself with staring at her rack while she slept.

Jaye sighed and pulled his shirt off, chucking it over his bag and kicking it to the head of his sleeping bag. Technically the boys and girls were supposed to sleep separately, but the group of them were right at the point where the girl's area and the boy's area met, rendering the division pointless at least where he was sleeping. He ran his hand over the scars on his chest and stomach.

'I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though.' Ruby answered innocently, writing on a small piece of paper. Yang smirked coyly.

'I know I do.' She declared, purring, her grin getting wider as she eyed someone across the room. She turned her head, her eyes meeting Jaye's, and he felt her gaze run down his torso. He pointedly turned away from her, before remembering that he kind of owed it to her since he'd spent the past 15 minutes staring at her cleavage. He compromised, to a degree, by turning so that she could see half of him, and he felt her gaze burning a hole in his abs.

'Hey.' She called to him, and he turned to meet her gaze.

'I'm Yang' She introduced herself, and he felt her gaze drop back to his abs.

'Jaye' he said shortly, tugging at his belt. He felt her eyes follow the movement, and he immediately dropped his hand. He felt her gaze stay, and he turned around, picking up his toiletries.

'Those are some nasty scars.' Yang commented, her eyes fixated on his back. There were numerous scars all over Jaye's body, most only a few inches long. The most prominent one was a scar that made its way from his right shoulder all the way down to the left side of his lower back, stopping just short of his waist. A similar scar ran down the front of his body as well, almost a mirror image of the one on his back. He straightened up quietly, riffling through his bag.

'How'd you get those?' She asked, and Jaye rolled his eyes at her lack of tact.

'Sword' He grunted, unwilling to provide more info, and picked up his clothes.

'Taking a bath?' She questioned, the sly grin not leaving her face. Jaye wordlessly walked away, doing his best to ignore the gaze he felt boring into his back muscles.

'Have fun!' She called after him, and Jaye rolled his eyes, picking up the pace. He felt a few more eyes on him as he walked, and hunched his shoulders slightly.

'Yeah, baths ARE pretty fun!' He heard Ruby exclaim from behind him, and almost laughed aloud at how innocent she was. He pushed open the bathroom door, mildly surprised at how clean it was.

'Well it IS a ballroom. I doubt many people use the shower facilities here. Or even use this toilet in the first place.'He muttered to himself, and felt a wave of annoyance pass over him when he felt someone collide with his back. He turned to see a scraggly looking blond behind him, and remembered his name was Jaune. He watched the blond chuckle nervously, before quickly moving away to the sinks. The thing that struck Jaye the most was the ridiculous pair of bunny pajamas that the boy was wearing. The fact that it was a onesie made it ten times worse.

' _Those things look cute on small girls, not on guys like you. God man, get a grip. There's a limit to stupidity.'_ He thought to himself, chucking his towel over the shower door.

' _I mean, if you've got a stuffed tiger or something that's not a big deal, or if you're wearing bunny print pajamas that's fine. But for god's sake, don't wear a damned bunny suit!'_ He internally screamed, switching on the shower, hoping the hot water would burn the image out of his head. He swore aloud as a torrent of ice cold water poured over his head, and just resigned himself to a cold shower and a terrible night ahead.

'Goddammit' He groaned to himself, and groaned again in annoyance on hearing Jaune's yelp of pain from outside, likely having dropped something on his foot. He dropped his head onto the shower wall in front of him.

'Welcome to Beacon.' He cursed, staring at the floor.

* * *

So that's the end of it. Thanks for reading guys.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, I'm honestly only writing this fast because I'm binge watching this series at the moment, and I need a break from LIFE. So anyways, continuing on, I'll probably wind up pairing Jaye and Yang, because I love Yang. So, DON'T WORRY, HIS ANIMOSITY WON'T LAST FOR LONG. It's called character growth guys. On a separate note, I originally thought Beacons was only two years not four, so FORGIVE ME IF I MESSED UP ANY OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. So now, on to the story.

* * *

'Nice night, don't you think?' Jaye immediately heard Yang's voice once he reached his sleeping bag. Dropping his clothes and towel over his pillow, he hunted for the source, and spotted Yang and Ruby standing in front of the girl wearing the bow he'd seen earlier that morning. He'd honestly spotted them much faster than he thought he would, Yang's messy mop of blond hair made her stand out just a tad bit too much.

'…Yes. It's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book…that I will continue to read, as soon as you leave.' The bow wearing girl answered hesitantly, clearly peeved at the tactlessness of the blonde. Jaye smirked to himself.

' _Well, finally, a kindred soul.'_ He thought to himself, and felt compelled to come to the poor girl's rescue, even if that meant dragging Yang's attention back to himself.

'Yeah this girl's a lost cause.' Yang turned, starting back towards the sleeping bags.

'What's it about?' the girl looked up, Ruby smiling down at her, and Jaye noticed the her bow twitch suspiciously.

'Your book, Blake, what's it about?' Ruby asked, smiling, and for the first time, the girl, Blake, looked somewhat interested in the conversation. Jaye paused, unsure whether to go to help her, of if he ought to just stay out of it, before noticing a certain white haired and extremely annoying girl start towards them.

He turned back to notice Yang and Ruby engaged in a rather comical sibling tussle, and wondered if he ought to warn them of the approaching bundle of white cancer, and decided against it in favor of his own amusement.

'What in the world is going on here! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!?' Weiss yelled at the two, ironically waking several people up in the process. Jaye chuckled at the two sisters, with Ruby currently tickling Yang's foot, the latter having the biggest smile in her face.

'OH NOT YOU AGAIN!' Yang and Weiss yelled in unison. Ruby trying to shush the two of them.

'Ssh! Guys she's right, people are trying to sleep.' Ruby exclaimed, looking around apologetically.

'Oh, NOW you're on my side.' Weiss shot back with an exaggerated hair toss, hands on her hips. Jaye noted how Blake had put down her book and was just watching the scene unfold in front of her, and chuckled again.

'I was always on your side!' Ruby squeaked back defiantly, and Yang squared up to the offender.

'Yeah, what's your problem with my sister?! She's only trying to be nice.' She yelled at Weiss, and Jaye noticed Blake picking up the candles next to her. He also noticed her bow scrunch up slightly at the noise the girls were causing, and furrowed his brow.

'She's a hazard to my health!' Weiss yelled back, and before Jaye could take a closer look at the bow, Blake blew out the candles.

'Hey!' Weiss jumped slightly at the sudden darkness. Jaye could no longer see Blake as the corner she was seated in was now fully shadowed, and he wondered if she'd realized what he was trying to do.

Deciding not to think much more about it, Jaye flopped down on his pillow, realizing only after his belt buckle poked into his neck that his clothes were still sitting on top of it. Chucking them aside, he laid back down, and barely a moment later, felt something large, soft, and very human fall across his chest.

'Ow! Sorry.' A voice exclaimed, and he felt hair fall into his face, and two exceptionally soft objects press into his chest. He opened his eyes to see a messy mop of blond hair.

'Damn it Yang.' He groaned, dropping his head back down, uncaring, and decided to focus instead on the amazingly soft sensation on his chest before Yang became aware of it.

'Wow, not even flinching when a girl's on top of you. Someone's got a lot of experience I see.' Yang whispered slyly, and Jaye opened one eye.

'Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't.' He muttered, letting his eyes go down her body. Yang caught the movement, and grinned at him, propping herself up on her elbows.

'Like what you see?' She grinned wider, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'Go to sleep, tomorrow's initiation.' He rolled over, nearly dragging Yang with him.

'Spoilsport.' She said, pouting, and returned to her sleeping bag. Jaye sighed and rolled over again, accidentally meeting Yang's gaze as she laid in her sleeping bag, grinning at him. He sighed again, and closed his eyes.

' _Maybe Beacon won't be so bad after all.'_ He thought, finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Okay, there we go. Do you think their attraction is too obvious, or just enough? Lemme know by reviewing or PMing me. I'm open to suggestions for future chapters as well, so don't shy away from giving some! Criticism is also welcome, but please be constructive, if you flame I'll just ignore you. Anyways, chill out, have some ice-cream, and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	4. Explanation Chapter

Hey guys, so this is an explanation chapter of sorts, largely to explain a few things, since I realized that the character wasn't obvious enough, neither would people do the same kind of research I did when I wrote this story. SO, READ THIS IF YOU REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE DECISIONS I MAKE IN THIS STORY, AS WELL AS WHO JAYE IS.

* * *

So, first things first, a lot of thought went into this character Jaye Ryder, particularly his name and various other aspects of him that you'll see throughout this story. I did a lot of intense research, and it was a difficult decision to choose what team to put him in, but I decided it would fit well with his character to be part of team RWBY.

Firstly, his name, Jaye Ryder. Jaye in English is a name that means blue, thus his color scheme. Specifically, it's an allusion to the blue Jay, a bird found in America, where Rooster Teeth Productions is.

Jays are a species of birds where the blue Jay is just one type, and Jay is interchangeable with the name Magpie, largely referring to the same bird. Magpies are birds that show up quite often in fairy tales if I'm not mistaken, and there is a fairy tale that isn't entirely popular that not everyone might know about. It's a fairy tale about Magpies called "The Magpie's Nest"

Synopsis Of "The Magpie's Nest" from Wikipedia:

All the birds came to the magpie, because it was the wisest, and asked it to teach them how to build nests. The magpie started to demonstrate, but each time she did something, another bird concluded that was all there was to it. By the time she was done, only the turtle-dove was left, and it had been paying no attention, but singing "Take two". The magpie said that one was enough but looked up and saw that every bird had left. She became angry and would not teach any more.

That is why birds build their nests differently.

* * *

So, this is one of the reasons why Jaye's character is so antagonistic and cold. In addition, he carries the same Bird motif as Team CRDL, but is nothing like them and despises their actions. He is the person that OUGHT to develop into the kind of wise character like Ozpin is, which he will, once all the members leave, imitating the conclusion of this fairy tale.

The idea of all the birds leaving when the Magpie tries to show them how to build a nest is a foreshadowing of the destruction of their team in the future, with Team RWBY splitting up in the show, which will happen to team RRWBY in later chapters here.

Also, the fact that this Fairy Tale is something not very well known to people is also the reason why I built his character in this way. "The Magpie's Nest" when looked into, carries very deep meanings on the lack of understanding, failure to communicate, and failure to see things through to the end. The idea in the fairy tale of each bird seeing a small portion of the Magpie's nest building, then leaving to build their nests with only that bit in mind, is the idea of why people have things in common, but aren't quite the same, at least in my reading of it.

This fairy tale really carries quite a powerful underlying message, and I honestly hadn't heard of this fairytale until I started researching for character ideas.

THEREFORE, this is one of the reasons why Jaye is one of the more powerful characters here, who is unknown to the others, unlike Pyrrha. Pyrrha tries very hard to understand other people and take care of them, and Jaye is the opposite of that, having tried to take care of people in the past, yet having them leave him.

This is why the two of them will conflict with each other, and one of the reasons why I placed him on even or more powerful grounds against her.

Next, Jaye is a thief of sorts, at least he stole quite a bit to survive as shown in the first chapter. This is because of the idea that magpies like shiny things, also the reason why he was attracted to the SILVER KNIGHT PIECE.

I'll explain the knight portion now.

Next is Ryder. Ryder in English means "Knight", which is an allusion to knights like Arthur Pendragon. King Arthur has been portrayed in various forms of media to wear blue, which is a royal color of sorts. Royal Blue, which is traditionally a dark blue, is Jaye's main color coding. Not the new royal blue in pop culture, TRADITIONAL ROYAL BLUE is a deep to dark blue, resulting in his color coding.

As such, with his color coding as it is, as well as the fact that he alludes to King Arthur is why his nickname in future chapters will be ICE KING. The idea of him being cold and somewhat uncaring was to provide room for character development, and to link to his semblance, which has not been revealed in the story yet.

*SPOILERS*

His semblance is Ice, or more specifically, total control over Water. This means all the states of water, ice and steam included.

This is the reason why I created his character as such, and why I want to pair him with Yang. Yang is supposed to be fire. She is goldilocks, she is cheery and positive, fiery in nature, and the polar opposite of Jaye. SHE is supposed to develop him, to melt the ice in a sense. Jaye's favorite dust is lightning dust.

*SPOILERS DONE*

* * *

CHARACTER EXPLANATION

* * *

Now, the basis of Jaye's character is IRONY.

As the "King" character, naturally he should be the leader. But instead, here he follows Ruby as a member of team RRWBY. His favourite dust is lightning dust, which is basically heat, the polar opposite of his semblance. In fact, as a water/ice user he's vulnerable to lightning. The Jay bird is a noisy bird, yet he is cold and quiet, indicating that either something had happened to change him from the noisy, energetic, leader-like character, into what he is now.

OR, it is to provide room for him to develop into that character in the future, depending on which path I decide to take.

Jaye seems to be cold and uncaring, yet he shows concern for the other characters in his own quiet way, and tries to help them overcome their problems even if he doesn't necessarily do so explicitly, or if he does do it explicitly, why it seems to conflict with his character. This is because of the idea of IRONY.

This is to either foreshadow future development into the character his name is supposed to allude to, or to show his past nature, and possibly provide room for the other members of team RRWBY to help him overcome his past hurt and scars, and become that person he once was.

* * *

So, hopefully this chapter has been helpful for you guys in understanding the character a bit better, and if anyone flames me in reviews or PMs about his character not seeming to be consistent, I will direct you to read this chapter for explanations. So those of you who stuck through this chapter, I hope this helps you understand Jaye better and understand where this story is to be headed. HOPEFULLY, this will help to get some of you into this story and get you interested. TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THIS STORY OKAY, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME TO HAVE PEOPLE READ MY WORK.


	5. Chapter 4

WADDAP chapter 4 guys, I made a big mistake watching episode 4 AND SEEING PYRRHA AGAIN. Plus, I was listening to Dream Come True at the same time when I was watching the episode, and when she said 'Hello Again' it basically killed me. AGH BUT I WILL NOT GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION AND CHANGE HER DEATH. No, it was essential and I will not give in. Also, here are the links to how Jaye's weapons look like, for those of ya'll that want a clearer picture of them.

post/161647453007/jayes-shield-and-roughly-how-his-swords-look

* * *

'I don't need to break out of my shell, that's absolutely ridiculous! I don't have to…' Jaye groaned as he walked into the locker room. Ruby hysterical rant was the last thing he wanted to hear in the morning. Yang grinned at Ruby nervously, before looking at Jaye for help. He rolled his eyes, and pointedly walked between the two of them on the way to his locker.

'Morning Jaye!' Yang chirped and Jaye raised his hand in greeting.

'Well you're awfully chipper this early in the morning.' He said to Ruby, and she rolled her eyes, clearly still miffed.

'That's what I said!' Yang exclaimed, and Ruby turned back to her and resumed her rant.

'Hey, isn't Jaye a bit of a strange name for an Asian guy?' Yang asked Jaye, trying to change the subject.

'My mom's Chinese.' Jaye answered shortly, walking off, not desiring to be part of the scream-fest, and Yang stretched her arm out in a desperate plea.

'Don't change the subject Yang!' Ruby yelled, continuing where she left off.

'NOOO Jaye, don't leave me!' Yang cried, and he pointedly ignored her, as if to say that was all the help she was going to get from him. He carried on walking, and noticed the white cancer standing by a girl he recognized.

'So Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you would like to be on? I'm sure everyone would be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself.' He overheard Weiss ask. Jaye smiled to himself.

' _It is her. I knew it, I remember her from the Mistral Regional Tournament.'_ Jaye thought to himself, stopping in front of his locker.

'Hmm, I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may.' Pyrrha replied, hand on her hips. Weiss smiled widely.

'Well…I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together.' Weiss proposed, and Pyrrha smiled.

'Well that sounds grand!' Weiss could barely control her excitement.

'Great!' She exclaimed, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

' _Could you be any less conspicuous? Honestly.'_ He thought to himself, punching in his locker code wrongly for the fourth time.

'Goddammit.' He swore, rattling the handle. He pulled out his scroll, digging through it to find his passcode.

He finally found it, and got his locker open. He ran his hand down the front of his shield, slinging his gear over his back and waist. The familiar weight of them comforted him, and he quickly tested the mechanisms, making sure nothing had been tampered with. He adjusted the dark blue gauntlets on his arms, testing the locks meant to attach the shield to his gauntlets. Surrounding his upper forearm was a rotating belt of dust cartridges leading inside the gauntlets. When activated, they would rotate to change out the dust cartridge in use, sliding the new cartridge into place inside the gauntlet. By running his aura through them, he could activate the dust elements and channel them through his gauntlets and into his weapons.

'Jaune is it? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?' Jaye turned to see Jaune getting himself into another stupid mess again.

'Not in the slightest Snow Angel.' Jaune cooed at Weiss, and Jaye shuddered at the cheesiness.

'This is Pyrrha' Weiss introduced, and Pyrrha waved cheerily.

'Hello again!' She chirped, and Jaye wondered how on earth people could be this energetic in the morning.

'Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum. AND she's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. A new record!' Weiss boasted. Jaye rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might fall out.

' _So why the heck are you the one boasting? She can introduce herself dammit.'_ Jaye thought, slamming his locker door shut.

'Never heard of it.' Jaune stated flippantly, and Jaye almost slammed his head into his locker.

' _How ignorant can you get?'_ He screamed internally, turning around, and preparing to leave. He heard a clunk sound from behind him, and saw Jaune impaled to a locker by his hood, Pyrrha's spear holding him in place.

'I'm sorry!' Pyrrha apologized, retrieving her spear, and Jaye couldn't believe how overwhelmingly nice she was.

'Well, technically I don't think I ought to have won last year's tournament. There was one fighter that I fought in the last round, and halfway through the match he just forfeited.' Pyrrha scratched her chin, pondering, as she and Weiss started towards the door. 'Till now I have no idea why.'

Weiss flipped her hair nonchalantly.

'He probably realized he couldn't beat you.' She stated flippantly, and Pyrrha shook her head.

'No, he was beating ME. Our skill levels were close, but he was so fast I could barely touch him. He had more aura than I did before he forfeited. He probably would have won given how skilled he was. It's hard to say, honestly.' Pyrrha told the heiress, gaze settling on Jaye's shield. Her eyes widened in realization.

'Hey! You, with the shield!' Jaye paused at the sound of her voice, turning to meet her gaze. Pyrrha smiled at him.

'I knew it. I wouldn't forget someone like you, especially not your weapons.' Pyrrha walked up to Jaye, smiling widely, Weiss trailing behind her. Now Pyrrha could see him clearly.

Aside from the dark blue weapons and gauntlets, staying true to his color coding, Jaye's clothes were almost totally black. He wore a simple set of leather armor over a zip-up vest, a pair of cargo pants and knee-high combat boots. His gauntlets ended just before the elbow. He wore armor plating over his knees, and his boots were plated on the shins, heels, and toes. His emblem, a small silver tiger head, was emblazoned in the middle of his chest, just under the collarbones. This emblem was repeated on the face of his shield and just above the handles of his swords, the emblems small enough that it did not affect the aesthetic look of his equipment.

'Do you remember me? We fought last year in Mistral's Regional Tournament.' Jaye turned away from her, fully intent on leaving.

'Yeah.' He answered shortly, and carried on walking. Pyrrha's smile faltered slightly.

'Hey!' Jaye paused mid-stride. Pyrrha stood her ground, staring at his back.

'Why did you forfeit that match? You were winning. In fact, you would've won the whole tournament. Why did you do it?' She asked, her gaze firm and insistent. Jaye sighed, scratching the back of his head.

'Didn't feel like it. That's all.' He glanced up at the clock, and Pyrrha stared at him in disbelief.

'You didn't feel like it? That's all?!' She asked disbelievingly, and Jaye ignored her. He slipped out the door of the locker rooms, and somehow ran into Yang, Ruby and Jaune waiting outside.

'You beat Pyrrha Nikos?!' Yang stared at him, mouth agape, and Jaye sighed again.

'No, I _almost_ beat Pyrrha Nikos.' He groaned, annoyed at having to keep answering questions, and carried on walking.

'Hey wait up!' Yang cried, and the sisters ran after him, falling into step beside him. Jaye groaned at the unwanted human interaction.

' _You've got to be kidding me. Gimme a goddamn break already.'_ He thought, shaking his head.

'Oh wait! Jaune! Come on!' Ruby turned and yelled at the blond, who was standing there hanging his head. She dragged him along, arm over her shoulders, as if she were supporting a drunk.

'Come on guys! Pick up the pace! We're going to be late!' Yang shouted, and Jaye quickened his pace.

* * *

Beacon Cliff

* * *

'For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest.' Professor Ozpin addressed the line of students in front of him, sipping from his ever-present mug. They were each standing on a square metal pad, and Jaye was a little suspicious of what it was for.

'Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion.' Glynda said, a large scroll in her hands.

'Each of you will be given teammates, today.' Jaye's face fell instantly the moment she said that. He'd been hoping that he wouldn't have to join a team, and could just get through Beacon by himself, but now his hopes and dreams had been shattered cruelly, and he hung his head.

'These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next 4 years.' Professor Ozpin said, and Jaye made a mental note not to be spotted by a single person after they'd landed.

' _Wait, what does he mean after we've landed?'_ He thought, furrowing his brow.

'After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die.' Jaye made another mental note to destroy everyone who spots him, reasoning being that they were in the way.

'At the end of the path, there will be an abandoned temple containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff.' The professor took another sip from his mug, and looked pointedly at Jaye, who pretended not to notice his stare.

'We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Any questions? Good, now take your positions.' Professor Ozpin stepped off to the side, ignoring Jaune's raised hand.

Jaye noticed the student next to him get launched off the pad, and just sort of blinked in confusion.

' _No way, no freaking way.'_ He thought, preparing to get off the pad, but too late. He screamed as he was hurled into the air, flailing his limbs as he flew.

'HOLY SHIT OZPIN! YOU'RE CRAZY, YOU'RE FRIGGIN CRAZY!' He screamed as he fell, spinning uncontrollably.

Standing atop the cliff, Ozpin watched them fall, sipping from his mug.

* * *

End


	6. Chapter 5

Hey guys, back at it again, with another chapter. These are actually a lot easier to write because I just have to follow the episodes for a storyline, so I can write these practically non-stop without writer's block, so whoohoo. Anyways, on with the chapter.

* * *

Jaye had finally managed to right himself in his fall. He was now facing downwards, spreading his arms and legs to slow his fall as best as he possibly could. He saw the canopy rushing up at him, and desperately tried to think of a landing strategy.

' _Sword? No. Other sword? No. Shield? Maybe. Oh shit!'_ His thought were cut short by a branch hitting him in the gut, somewhat slowing his fall.

'AGH I GIVE UP!' He screamed, activating his aura and yanking his shield off his back, curling up behind it as best as he could.

'Uuugh' He gasped, feeling the shock run through his whole body as he hit the ground. He spun and bounced up and down, several times, crashing through two trees and god knows how many bushes before finally rolling to a stop.

'Uuuugh, bullshit.' He got to his feet groaning, and came face to face with the snarling teeth of an Ursa Major. He groaned, raising his shield. The Ursa raised a giant paw, batting him away and into a tree.

'Uuuugh, bullshit.' He swore, getting to his feet. He clicked a button on the handle of his shield, and the top of his shield slid open, revealing two short barrels. Aiming it at the Ursa, he pulled the trigger.

Light blue bullets poured out of the barrel, each bullet bursting into shards of ice on impact, freezing the Ursa solid, till it fell to the ground and shattered. He clicked the switch again, retracting the barrel, and slung his shield across his back.

'Fraggin bullshit.' He swore, pulling a compass out of his pocket. He set a course due North, pushing his way through the branches.

* * *

In The Meantime

* * *

'How about a cute little pony?' Yang raised the white knight piece into the air, staring over at Blake.

'Sure,' The raven-haired girl replied, rolling her eyes, and smiling.

'Well that wasn't too hard.' Yang commented, stashing the piece in her waist pouch. Blake rolled her eyes again.

'Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find.' Blake replied, grinning.

* * *

A Few Minutes Later

* * *

Jaye paused for a minute, feeling a tremor in the ground.

' _What the heck is that?'_ He thought, staring at his feet. He pushed his way through a few bushes and into a small clearing, and started as Pyrrha flew past him and hit the ground.

'Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!' Yang announced enthusiastically.

Jaye saw the group of them from the distance, and watched as the group ran off with a Nevermore and a Deathstalker on their tails. As he approached the temple, he eyed the relics. He was tempted to just grab a random one and go, but something caught his eye.

Placed on a smaller pedestal slightly away from the others, sat a small silver chess piece. A silver knight piece, totally different from the other black and gold pieces. Jaye stared at it for a moment, shrugged, and swiped it off the stand, stashing it in his waist pouch.

' _Well that was easy.'_ He thought to himself, making his way towards the cliff where they were supposed to meet. Along the way, he noticed the group of them fighting the Deathstalker and the Nevermore, and pointedly ignored them and the fight.

' _Idiots, don't they realize they don't have to fight those? There are other ways up the side of the cliff you know.'_ He rolled his eyes, taking a slight detour and scaling the cliff with little difficulty.

A little after he reached the top, he felt another tremor, as if something huge and heavy had smashed into the side of the cliff. He paused for a moment, and jumped when Ruby went flying over the side of the cliff, followed by a Nevermore's head.

He paused, blinked for a moment, and Ruby didn't seem to notice him. He decided to ignore her and left, heading for the rendezvous point.

* * *

Later In The Assembly Hall

* * *

'Blake Belladona, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, and Jaye Ryder.' The five stepped onto the stage. Jaye fiddled with his gauntlets. There was a visible clamor amongst the crowd, which was to be expected, because this was the first time a FIVE-member team had been called onto the stage. Professor Ozpin addressed them directly.

'Do not be alarmed, there is no mistake. Every year, our students spend their school lives in teams of four. _But,_ there are rare occasions when the requirement of four cannot be met. In cases such as these, outlier relics are placed amongst the regular ones, and those relics determine your teams.' The professor adjusted his spectacles, looking directly at Jaye, who refused to meet his gaze.

'You four retrieved the white knight pieces, and you, Mister Ryder, retrieved the _silver_ knight piece. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RRWBY. Lead by…Ruby Rose.' Ruby looked up in shock, and Jaye sighed, dropping his head into his hands, knowing that a peaceful and uneventful life at Beacon was no longer possible.

'I'm so proud of you!' Yang squealed, bear hugging Ruby, who just stood there with an awkward and terrified smile on her face. Professor Ozpin smiled at them, looking at Jaye, who again, turned away.

'Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year.'


	7. Chapter 6

Hey guys, chapter 6. So, after the previous chapter, I know some of you guys are thinking it was a wasted opportunity. Personally, with the way I wrote Jaye's character, I felt it would have been much further out of character for him to have interfered with the fight. Plus, he IS trying to stay inconspicuous in school, meaning he doesn't want to do anything that would really get him noticed by others if he can help it. But of course, certain things he won't back down for, which you'll see in later chapters. DON'T WORRY, sparring classes are coming up soon, so you guys will get to see a taste of what Jaye can do. Of course, he doesn't want to, but you know, life isn't quite going to go smoothly for him.

* * *

'It was a bright cheery morning, filled with _happiness_ and _wonder_ for all creation! Nothing could possibly go wrong! Then you woke up, and ruined all of it. WHY?!' Jaye groaned in protest, dropping down on his bed as the last person he wanted to see in the morning bounced up and down.

He'd actually gotten up the earliest out of all of them, gone for a run AND showered before coming back to find Ruby kicking everyone out of bed. And what made things worse was the fact that two of the other team members were just as over-enthusiastic as she was. He dropped his face into his hands, loud noises were the last thing he needed first thing in the morning.

'GOOD MORNING TEAM RRWBY!' Ruby squealed, bouncing up and down even harder, with a cheeriness that was going to suffocate Jaye if he didn't find a way to stop it.

'What in the world is wrong with you?!' Weiss yelled at the over enthusiastic little girl, picking herself up from the floor. She locked eyes with Jaye, and for once he thought that she might not be so bad after all.

'Now that you two are awake we can officially begin our first order of business!' Ruby declared, holding a hand triumphantly in the air.

'Excuse me?' Weiss locked eyes with Jaye again, as they seemed to be the only two sane people in the room. Jaye shrugged, kicking his legs up onto the bed and laying down.

'Decorating!' Yang cried, her arms full of absolutely useless stuff, and Blake held up her suitcase.

'We still have to unpack.' The raven-haired girl stated. As she spoke her suitcase fell open and its contents spilled across the floor.

'And clean.' She added as an afterthought. Weiss glared at the three, and Ruby blew a whistle (where the heck did she get that thing?) in her face, scaring the girl out of her wits. Weiss dropped to the floor in shock.

'Alright! Weiss, Blake, Jaye, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission. Banzai!' Their "fearless leader" yelled, pumping a fist up in the air.

'Banzai!' Blake and Yang joined in the cheer, while Jaye and Weiss simply stared at the three like they were idiots.

Yang spared Jaye no mercy, and rolled the poor boy off the bed. It was at this point that Jaye just stopped caring, and joined Weiss on the floor.

* * *

Decoration Ensues

* * *

Jaye had basically spent the last hour and a half staring at his team members totally defile the room, and took down the curtain Ruby had _somehow_ managed to slice in half. By the time they were done, the room looked nothing like before, and was far more _cramped_ than before. Previously, where there was space for FIVE beds, there was now barely space for two.

'This isn't going to work.' Weiss stated the obvious, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'That's what I said 20 MINUTES AGO.' He said sarcastically, and Weiss shot him a glare.

'It is a bit cramped.' Blake muttered. Yang looked around quizzically.

'Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff.' She suggested, already selecting things to dump in her head.

'Or we _could_ just ditch the beds…and replace them with BUNK BEDS!' Ruby squealed, hopping up and down _again_.

'Um, that sounds incredibly dangerous.' Weiss pointed out.

'Thank you! Finally, some sanity!' Jaye exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air as a form of praise to the divine being of logical reasoning.

'And super awesome!' Yang squealed, pumping her fist.

'NO!' Jaye slapped his palm into his forehead.

'It does seem efficient.' Blake interjected, and Jaye looked up in horror.

'No no no, Blake, not you too.' He cried into his palms, and Blake observed him curiously.

'Well, we should put it to a vote.' Weiss suggested, and Jaye felt a sense of hope, which was then crushed by his realization that out of the five people there, currently only he and Weiss seemed to have any concern for the general safety of the inhabitants.

'I think we just did.' Ruby said, sealing Jaye's fate. Before he could stop them, the three over-enthusiastic girls charged in and began construction. Jaye sat down, not intending to contribute to the madness, and simply started stitching the damaged curtain back together. Weiss, also seemingly having decided to stay out of the construction process, watched him work.

'You can sew?' She asked, and Jaye glanced up at her.

'It's just sticking a needle through something and pulling it out the other end, it's not that hard.' He replied, smoothing out the wrinkles on the curtain. Weiss quietly sat down beside him.

'It's hard to make it as neat as that. Takes a lot of practice and patience.' She commented, hugging her knees to her chest. Jaye chuckled.

'Well, I had a lot of practice.' He said, patting his scarred chest, and Weiss glanced at him.

'How'd you get those scars anyway?' She inquired, and he smiled.

'Sword.' He replied evenly, wrapping the thread around the needle to complete the last stitch. Weiss rolled her eyes.

'You said that before, I want to know _how_ you got them, not what gave them to you.' She said, looking at the side of his face. Jaye wordlessly stood up, shaking out the curtain.

'All done!' He said cheerily, clearly avoiding answering her. Weiss glared at him, and he ignored her, making his way across the room to hang it back up.

Once the girls were done, they had simply stacked the five beds on top of each other on either side of the room, using books and rope to hold them up. Jaye noticed that his bed was right at the bottom of the side with three beds stacked on top of each other, meaning that if the bunk beds gave way, he'd be crushed under the two beds hovering above his own. He silently prayed that the ropes and books wouldn't fail and turn him into a triple decker bed sandwich. He also offered a silent prayer to housekeeping, and begged for forgiveness for the immense pain in the ass cleaning their room would be.

'Alright, our second order of business is!…classes.' Ruby said dejectedly, sitting on her bed.

'Now, we have a few classes together today. At nine we've gotta be…' She said, poking her bottom lip with a pencil.

'What?! Did you say nine o'clock?!' A look of shock crossed Weiss's face.

'Umm…' Ruby mumbled, and Weiss's face changed to anger.

'It's 8:55 you dunce!' She yelled, charging out of the room, the other three hot on her tails.

'Uhhh, t-t-t, to class!' Ruby yelled, then looked around.

'Uh guys? Where's Jaye?' Yang asked, panting.

'Don't know, but we're going to be late!' Blake interjected, putting on a burst of speed.

The four girls, with team JNPR close behind, charged into class just as the bell rang, out of breath, only to find Jaye already sitting in the lecture theatre. The four girls ran up to him, and after some cajoling, he finally agreed to let them sit with him.

'Where *pants* where you?' Yang asked between breaths. Jaye looked at her quizzically.

'Uh here? You're supposed to be seated by 8:55 you know.' He replied, pulling out his pencil case and a notebook. Yang stared at him incredulously.

'Wow, didn't take you for the studious type. Wait, if you knew, why didn't you tell us?!' She whispered as the professor started speaking.

'Okay first of all, that's Ruby's job. As the team leader, she's supposed to keep everyone informed. Secondly, I told you guys we had class as I left. I thought you heard me, but I guess not. Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to pay attention.' He replied, clicking his mechanical pencil. The paying attention part was a lie, obviously, as he had perfected the art of sleeping with his eyes open, and was planning to catch up on the sleep he'd lost thanks to the four girls' antics the previous night.

'But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome, man. ME! When I was a boy…blahblahblahblah' The professor, Peter Port, blathered on and on, only further aiding in Jaye's quest for temporary unconsciousness. In a few moments, he was fast asleep, eyes still wide open, staring straight at the professor.

* * *

One Eternity Later

* * *

Weiss, for the past god knows how long, had been watching Ruby goof off during class. Whether it was doodling, attempting to balance a book and an apple on top of a pencil, which she actually managed to do (I don't care what anyone says, THAT is impressive), sleeping, or even picking her nose, the raven-haired girl remained completely oblivious, and the Ice Queen's anger built steadily.

With each passing antic, Weiss simply got increasingly furious, bordering on eruption, unfortunately to everyone else's, especially Ruby's, obliviousness. Honestly, how she didn't notice Weiss glaring daggers more intensely at her with each passing moment when she was sitting BESIDE the frosty-haired girl was an achievement.

'The moral of this story? A true huntsman must be honorable, a true huntsman must be dependable, a true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise! So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?' The professor looked at the young faces surrounding him in the lecture theatre. Unable to hold herself back any longer, Weiss's hand shot up.

'I do sir!' She exclaimed, and unsurprisingly, the rest of the class, most of whom had lost interest, didn't even notice her.

'Well then, let's find out!' The professor declared, turning to face the rattling cage beside him (wait, where the heck did that come from?), waving a careless hand at it.

'Step forward, and face your opponent!' Weiss, stared at the cage, gathering her wits about her, and stepped forward.

* * *

So that's the end of this chapter guys, I'm really having a lot of fun writing this series and it's pretty easy since it's basically a recap of events that happened but with slight changes and extra people (Jaye basically) present. Doesn't mean I'm not putting in effort into this okay? It's also giving me an excuse to re-watch the series XD


	8. Chapter 7

Yo, I noticed this story isn't getting that much love, but that doesn't matter, because I'm mainly writing this for me because I love this series so much. So anyways, on with this chapter! The sparring classes are finally coming up soon, so Jaye gets to show his mad SKILLZ jk he doesn't really, but that's not the point.

* * *

'Step forward Miss Schnee, and prepare yourself!' Professor Port exclaimed with glee. Weiss, now in full battle gear, poised herself before the snarling cage, Myrtenaster leveled to strike.

'Go Weiss! Represent Teeaaam RRWBY!' Ruby shouted, pumping her fists, and Weiss turned on her angrily.

'Ruby! I'm trying to focus!' The heiress reprimanded her, and Ruby's face fell.

'Oh, sorry…' The red-head mumbled, lowering her hands quietly. Returning her attention to the cage, Weiss took a deep breath.

'Alright, let the match, begin!' The professor slashed the lock off the cage, and a Boarbatusk burst through the door, almost immediately charging at the white-haired girl.

Weiss twirled to the side so avoid the charge, slashing at the same time, only for her weapon to glance off the body armor of the Grimm. Pausing for a moment to collect herself, Weiss charged to meet the beast head on, only to have her sword jammed between its monstrous tusks. The Boarbatusk thrashed around, trying to free itself, throwing the Ice Queen around in the process.

'Come on Weiss! Show it who's boss!' Ruby cheered, and Weiss shot her a glare. The momentary distraction proved a mistake, as she relaxed her grip, allowing the beast to throw her sword out of her grasp and across the room. Stunned by the sudden loss of her weapon, Weiss was knocked to the ground by a follow up from the Boarbatusk.

'Oho, now what will you do without your weapon?' The professor asked triumphantly, moustache twitching, raising a single eyebrow. Weiss got to her hands and knees, throwing herself desperately out of the way to avoid the Boarbatusk's second charge.

Rolling to her feet, she dashed for her sword, sliding to the ground to retrieve it. Grasping the handle, she pulled herself to her feet to face the Grimm, who stood across her, pawing at the ground.

'Weiss! Go for the belly! There's no armor underneath-!' Ruby tried to contribute again, before Weiss cut her off, whirling on her in annoyance.

'Stop telling me what to do!' She yelled, her cerulean eyes sparkling with anger. Ruby's face fell again, a look of hurt and confusion plastered across it.

The Boarbatusk charged Weiss again, rolling across the floor at a tremendous speed. Activating her glyphs, Weiss shielded herself from the attack, the Grimm bouncing off the glyph like it had hit a wall. Backflipping into the air, the young huntress-to-be launched herself off a glyph positioned behind her, shooting towards the boar.

The Grimm, still struggling to get off its back and into its feet, had no chance to avoid the attack, and Weiss plunged Myrtenaster into its exposed underbelly. The beast squealed, its legs wriggling in pain, before it fell silent, barely a moment later. Weiss dropped to her knees next to it, hand still on the sword plunged in its belly, catching her breath.

'Bravo! Braa-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training.' Professor Port swung his fist, satisfied. Weiss stood there, panting, holding her sword in front of her, as if unsure as to whether the dissolving creature was dead. She straightened up quickly, sheathing her sword haughtily.

'I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and, stay vigilant.' The professor cautioned, stressing the last two words with a hand in the air.

'Class dismissed!' On those words, Jaye shot awake with a snort, head jerking off his hand, and looked around blearily. He noticed the heiress standing in the middle of the theatre, and cocked his head in confusion.

'When the heck did Weiss change clothes?' He asked, turning to Yang, who stared at him in disbelief.

'What? You didn't notice her _leaving_ to change into battle gear?' Yang asked incredulously, and Jaye shrugged. The blonde stared at him, noting his slightly dazed expression and slack jaw.

'Wait, were you sleeping the whole time?!' She questioned, and when Jaye didn't answer, punched him in the shoulder.

'Your eyes were open! The whole time!' She punched him again, and Jaye slid out of the booth to avoid her onslaught. He noticed Weiss stalk out of the classroom, Ruby hot on her heels, and wondered what in the blazes had happened.

* * *

That Night

* * *

'Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know, that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have.' Weiss smiled at the red-head, handing her a cup of coffee. Ruby smiled back, swirling the cup in her hands.

'Good luck studying.' Weiss wished her, dropping down from Ruby's bed. She popped her head back up.

'That's wrong by the way.' She pointed out, smiling even wider than before. Ruby grinned as the heiress left, and Weiss stopped at the door.

'Hey Ruby? I always wanted bunk beds as a kid.' Weiss called to her, pulling the door shut. She paused for a moment, smiling at the door.

'Why the change of heart?' Jaye's voice sounded from nowhere, and Weiss jumped, startled, turning to see the dark-haired boy leaning against the opposing wall.

'Where did you come from?' Weiss rubbed her arm, turning away from him. Jaye pushed himself off the wall, walking towards her, soap and towel in hand.

'The bathroom. Yang told me what happened.' He said, stopping in front of her. Weiss stared at him, defiant. She turned away haughtily.

'Now you answer my question.' He stated, casually spinning the bottle of soap in his hand.

'Just did a bit of self-reflection.' Weiss shot back, crossing her arms. Jaye raised an eyebrow, and she turned away from him. There was no way she was going to let him find out she'd been told off by Professor Port. Jaye sighed, throwing his towel over his shoulder.

'Alright Princess, if you say so.' He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, pushing past her into the room.

'This isn't like you, you know. It's creeping me out.' Weiss told him, and Jaye shut the door behind him. The heiress glared at the door for a moment, before stalking off haughtily to the bathroom.

* * *

Okay guys, so that's the end of this chapter, hope you guys are enjoying this! Anyways, we will get to see Jaye fight in the later chapters DON'T WORRY it's not long now.


	9. Chapter 8

Sup guys, chapter 8. So this chapter happens in Jaunedice, Episode 11. This is the point where you see cases of bullying occur, and Jaye won't stand by and watch it.

* * *

Cardin raised his mace above his head. Jaune lay on the floor of the training room, cradling his torso. He watched, helpless, as Cardin raised his weapon.

'Cardin, that's enough.' Glynda announced as a buzzer rang, walking to the front of the training floor, addressing the other students.

'Students as you can see, Mister Arc's aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament style dual, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match.' The blonde teacher stated, tapping on her scroll. The other students stood in front of the raised platform that was the combat area, and Pyrrha looked on at Jaune with a pained expression on her face.

'Mister Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you to decide when it is appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more…defensive strategy.' Glynda told the boy, still sitting on the ground, who'd finally pulled out his scroll to check.

'We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now would we?' She said sarcastically, and Jaune hung his head.

'Speak for yourself.' Cardin spat, huffing, swinging his mace up onto his shoulder and preparing to leave. Glynda stepped forward to the edge of the platform.

'We have time for just one more match. Any volunteers?' Glynda turned to the crowd, and Cardin smiled.

'Hah! I'll fight the next match. Find me a good opponent, I'm barely even warmed up.' He declared, grinning at Jaune, who was pulling himself off the stage.

'Very well.' Glynda took a customary glance through the crowd. Jaye turned away to avoid making eye contact.

'Mister Ryder, if you would.' She called, pulling out her scroll again. Jaye groaned, dropping his head into his hands, and Yang punched him in the arm.

'C'mon Jaye, give em hell! If you could beat Pyrrha, there's no way you'll lose to this chump.' Yang cheered, and Jaye groaned in protest. Pushing himself out of his seat, he climbed the short flight of steps leading up to the battle area.

Now he stood facing Cardin. The guy was huge, towering over Jaye. Jaye, who was only around five centimeters taller than Ruby, barely reached Cardin's collar. Jaye groaned in protest, and could already hear the laughter amongst the crowd.

'Ready? Begin!' Glynda announced, ringing the buzzer. Jaye immediately turned around.

'I forfeit.' He told her, walking towards the stairs. Glynda regarded him with mild annoyance.

'And why is that?' She asked, the irritation clear in her voice. Jaye paused for a moment mid-stride.

'Because I don't feel like it.' He declared, and resumed his exit. Cardin's face contorted with anger.

'Oh, but I do!' He yelled, charging his much smaller combatant. Jaye sighed, turning to face the maniac. Cardin swung his mace in a horizontal strike, intending to take Jaye's head off.

'Look out!' Yang cried, rising from her seat, and blinked in surprise as Cardin went flying over her head.

It happened too fast for Cardin to react, and far too unexpectedly. The instant before his mace connected with Jaye's head, the smaller boy had ducked, dipping his head slightly so the mace missed him by a hair's breadth. Turning on the spot, Jaye extended his leg in a spinning hook kick, catching Cardin in the face and sending the boy, mace and all, flying off the stage.

Cardin landed in the middle of the crowd, which parted to avoid getting smushed, skidding and bouncing across the ground, sliding to a stop several feet away from the stage. The boy groaned, shaking his head, and staggered to his feet, stumbling for a few moments, before his legs gave way and he dropped face first into the floor.

Glynda assessed the unconscious boy for a moment, looking at him like she was looking at gum on a pavement, before turning back to the crowd, uncaring.

'Remember everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing!' Jaye quietly made his way down from the stage, making his way as inconspicuously as possible to the door.

'Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale.' Glynda finished, her attention falling back to the unconscious Cardin still on the floor, and she rolled her eyes.

'Will one of Mister Winchester's teammates be so kind as to bring him down to the nurse's office?'

* * *

At Lunch

* * *

Jaye slapped a hand over his eyes, groaning. He'd intended to simply dodge the blow, but Cardin had moved much faster than predicted. He'd underestimated the towering boy, and thanks to that had reacted instinctively, kicking him to avoid any follow-up attacks. Though, he honestly hadn't expected the blockhead to fly _quite_ that far.

'Still, I've never seen anyone beat Cardin with a single hit so far! That was amazing.' Yang slapped Jaye on the back, nearly making him spit out his mouthful of chicken. Grunting in annoyance, he swallowed, flicking Yang on the forehead. The blonde appeared unfazed by this, and just grinned at him.

'I didn't beat him with a single hit. He slacked his jaw, _and_ he was off balance. That's the only reason he went flying, and the idiot probably panicked and released his aura fortification.' Jaye flipped his fork, trying to make it land point first in his potatoes. He grimaced as he missed for the third time, and the handle of his fork sunk into the gravy.

'That's why he got the crap knocked out of him when he hit the ground. Otherwise, he'd probably have been fine. I'm guessing he's not entirely used to flying.' He finished, attempting to scoop his fork out of the gravy with his spoon.

' _Then again with his skill level, he'd better get used to flying. I'm pretty sure even Ruby could kick his ass.'_ Jaye thought, wiping off his fork. He glanced across the table, noticing Pyrrha staring at Jaune in the corner of his eye.

'So…like I was saying…there we were…in the middle of the night!' Nora continued her story, glaring dramatically across the table.

'It was day.' Ren interjected, sipping from his mug. Nora ignored him with a grin.

'We were surrounded by Ursai!'

'They were Beowolves.' Ren popped in again, his revelation of the actual events failing to derail Nora's storytelling.

'DOZENS OF THEM!' The over-enthusiastic girl shouted, rising from her seat for dramatic effect.

'Two of'em.' Ren shot in again, taking another sip from his mug. Nora continued, undaunted.

'But they were no match! And in the end, Ren and I took them _down_ , and a made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!' Nora sat down, arms crossed, a satisfied look plastered across her face. Ren sighed, his mug now balanced on his palm.

'She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now.' He admitted, and Nora grinned even wider. Pyrrha glanced again at her team leader.

'Jaune? Are you okay?' Pyrrha questioned the dejected blond. Jaune, playing with his food, barely noticed her.

'Huh? Oh, yeah, why?' He replied, dropping his fork, his eyes darting back and forth. Jaye observed him quietly, raising his mug to his lips.

'It's just that you seem, a little _not_ okay.' Ruby stammered, squirming uncomfortably. Jaune picked up his fork again, refusing to make eye contact.

'Guys, I'm fine, seriously look!' The blonde laughed nervously, thrusting up his thumb, grinning awkwardly. Pyrrha looked at him skeptically.

A bout of arrogant laughter distracted them momentarily, and the group looked over to see team CRDL surrounding a rabbit eared girl. Jaye didn't recognize her, so she was likely a second-year student. The four boys encircled the poor girl, trapping her from all sides, while she squirmed uncomfortably.

'Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school.' Pyrrha said, and Jaune clearly flinched at her words.

'Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah…he just likes to mess around, you know? Practical jokes!' Jaune waved his hand dismissively, and Jaye sighed at the blond's stubbornness.

'He's a bully.' Ruby stated, clearly angry, and Jaune avoided her gaze.

'Oh please…name one time he's "bullied" me.' Jaune challenged with nervous laughter, and the members of the table stared at him, Jaye included, incredulously.

'Really?' Jaye stared at Jaune, a look of complete annoyance plastered across his face. Jaune refused to look him in the eye, staring instead down at his untouched food.

'He knocks your books out of your hands when he sees you, he expands your shield when you're not looking, and he even shot you out of Beacon in a rocket-propelled locker!' Jaye slammed his fist down on the table, ready to strangle the boy.

'I didn't land far from the school…' Jaune reasoned unsuccessfully, and Pyrrha put a concerned hand on his shoulder.

'Jaune, you know if you ever need help you can just ask…' She told him, and Nora shot up from her seat.

'Oooh! We'll break his legs!' She suggested, a huge grin plastered across her face. Jaune stood, picking up his tray.

'Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone!' Jaye shook his head.

'Precisely why I'm with Nora on this one. We SHOULD break his legs.' Jaye told the blond, bumping Nora's outstretched fist in agreement. Their conversation was broken up by a cry of pain.

'Oww! That hurts!' The rabbit-eared Faunus girl doubled over in pain as Cardin pulled on her ears. He only laughed harder at her cry of pain, tugging on it harder.

'Please, stop.' She begged, tears rolling down her cheeks, and Jaye had had enough. He rose from his seat, vaulting over the table.

'I told you it was real.' Cardin laughed even louder, persistently holding on to the girl's ear. Jaye shot his hand out, grabbing Cardin by the wrist.

'Leave. Her. Alone.' He spat through his teeth, tightening his grip till Cardin winced in pain. Releasing the faunus girl's ear, Cardin rose to his feet, pulling his arm out of Jaye's grasp. He squared up to Jaye, glaring down at him.

'Or what? What're you going to do about it?' Cardin shoved Jaye backwards, advancing on the smaller boy. 'You just got lucky earlier, that's all. Why don't you try me now, now that you have my full attention?'

Jaye rolled his eyes at the boisterous prick, shoving him back hard enough that Cardin nearly fell across the table.

'I'm pretty sure you were fully focused in that match earlier. But you still got your ass handed to you.' Jaye shot back, now advancing on Cardin like a tiger who'd found his prey. 'If you think for a moment I'm intimidated by your false confidence, you're dead wrong.'

Jaye stopped right in front of Cardin, bearing down on him. Now it was Cardin's turn to feel helpless. His hand slid across the table, his fingertips brushing against a mug. Grinning he grasped hold of it, swinging it in a wide arc at Jaye's head.

But Jaye had seen Cardin's hand, and had noticed the mug long before the boy had grabbed hold of it. He blocked it with his forearm, the mug shattering against his gauntlet. Cocking his arm back, Jaye socked his aggressor across the face, hard. Cardin stumbled slightly, swinging back wildly. Jaye blocked the blow, wrapping his arm over Cardin's and headbutted him in the nose. Following up by sweeping Cardin's front foot, Jaye grabbed him by the collar and promptly threw him over the canteen table. His team members stood there for a moment in shock, before advancing on Jaye, surrounding him.

Jaye assessed the situation. Three combatants, none armed. He hadn't seen them fight before, but none of them looked like hand to hand combatants. Jaye grinned widely; this was going to be easy.

He felt a brush of air against his hair, and ducked just in time as a fist went sailing over his head. Throwing his head back, he felt it connect with a nose with a sickening crunch. Spinning around, he threw a knee into the offender's gut, creating distance to move. Pivoting on his foot, he turned and threw a crushing left hook into his jaw. The boy, Russel Thrush, crumpled like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He turned to see a blue-haired boy whom he recognized as Sky Lark advance on him.

Blocking the wild haymaker, Jaye countered with a solid right cross to Sky's cheek. Ducking another punch, Jaye kneed him in the gut, doubling him over, and dropped a forearm across his neck. Sky dropped to the floor, leaving Jaye with one combatant.

Dove Bronzewing, the last remaining member of Team CRDL, was unwilling to engage Jaye in a fist fight, seeing that he was clearly outmatched. Swiping a fork off the table, Dove waved it in Jaye's face, earning a laugh from the dark-haired boy. He stabbed with the makeshift weapon, and Jaye grabbed ahold of his outstretched arm, twisting his wrist and removing the fork from his grasp. A swift kick to the midsection stunned Dove, and a spinning hook kick sent him flying over the table to join Cardin.

Russel, who'd managed to get off the floor, swung a tray at Jaye's head. Jaye slipped the blow, kicking the tray out of Russel's hands. Jaye spun in a tornado kick to hook kick combo. Russel managed to evade both, but failed to catch the spinning back kick Jaye executed with the spin from the failed combination. Jaye's foot planted itself in Russel's stomach, and sent him skidding across the floor.

At this point, Cardin had sobered up and regained his senses. Pushing himself off the ground and onto his feet, he flipped the cafeteria table at Jaye, who rolled under the table to avoid it, the table missing him by an inch. The unfortunate Sky Lark, who was in the midst of getting up, was pinned to the floor by the table and was down for the count. Jaye flipped over Cardin's head, kicking him in the back, sending him stumbling into the overturned table. Cardin and Dove, who'd managed to recover, charged Jaye. Jumping between the two boys, Jaye executed a split kick, striking Cardin in the chest and Dove in the head. Dove dropped unmoving to the floor, while Cardin skidded several feet away.

Enraged, the towering boy charged in with rapid punches. However, his large and slow frame made it easy for Jaye to simply slip the blows. As Cardin's fists continued to hit air, he grew increasingly frustrated. Cocking back for a big punch, Cardin stepped forward, giving Jaye the opening he was looking for. Spinning on the spot, Jaye hit Cardin with a spinning hook kick for the second time that day, sending Cardin flying over another table and into Russel, knocking both the boys out. Looking at the groaning boys for a minute, Jaye smiled, satisfied with his work.

'Stop this immediately!' Glynda's voice rang out, and the cafeteria went dead silent. Glynda stalked up to Jaye, glaring daggers at him. Jaye looked at her uncaringly, raising an eyebrow.

'Mister Ryder. Headmaster's office.' The huntress demanded, waving her wand, returning the cafeteria table to its original place. She turned back to Jaye, who was staring at her in disbelief.

'Now, Mister Ryder.' She commanded, and Jaye sighed, scratching the back of his head.

* * *

Headmaster's Office

* * *

'Jaye, what did we say about behavior.' Professor Ozpin addressed the nonchalant boy, sipping again from his ever-present mug. Jaye shrugged, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

'What happened to behavior policies for the _other_ students?' He shot back, glaring at the headmaster. 'I'm pretty sure bullying counts as a worse crime in the school system than _stopping_ the bullying.'

Professor Ozpin sighed, placing his mug down (it's a miracle!), and pulled up a file on his scroll.

'Here in Beacon, we believe in letting students take the reign on their learning and treatment. If a student is being bullied, it is up to them to either address the problem themselves or _voluntarily_ bring it up to a member of the staff.' Glynda said, walking into the office, stopping by Professor Ozpin's desk. Professor Ozpin sighed, observing Jaye's incredulous look.

'In the end, if the student is unable to stand up for his or herself, or the bullying gets too out of hand, then we will take action. This IS a combat school Mister Ryder, we cannot coddle our students, else how will they fare in the real world, violent and unforgiving as it is now?' He reasoned, his voice calm and level. Turning the tablet towards him, Jaye recognized the image.

'The girl you saved, Velvet Scarlatina? She's a second-year student here at Beacon, and she is by no means weak.' Professor Ozpin put down the tablet, leaning back in his chair. 'If she decided not to do anything about the bullying, then neither we, nor YOU, have any right to decide otherwise.'

'By acting as you did, you may have very well prevented her growth as a person.' The professor rose from his chair, passing around his desk to approach Jaye. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Ozpin observed him quietly.

'I know it's a difficult thing to swallow, trust me, it's difficult to watch these things myself, but we have to learn to discern when it is, or is not, appropriate to help.' He said, returning to his desk. Jaye turned away, refusing to meet the professor's gaze.

'If that's all, then I'll take my leave now.' Jaye muttered, starting toward the elevator. Ozpin watched him go, adjusting his glasses with a sigh.

'Jaye!' He called, and Jaye paused at the elevator doors.

'Please, try to understand. We all have to make hard decisions.' Jaye turned, looking just slightly over his shoulder.

'Yeah, sure.' He stepped into the elevator, hitting the button for the ground floor. Ozpin watched the doors close, retrieving his mug, and quietly sipped from it. Glynda gave a cautious glance at the headmaster.

'Perhaps we should heighten our watch of Mister Ryder, else he takes matters into his hands far more severely than before.' Ozpin looked at her for a moment, crossing his hands in front of his face. He pondered for a moment.

'Very well. But ONLY observation. We cannot interfere with his growth. He must realize his shortcomings on his own, or his enrollment here would be pointless.' The headmaster said, and Glynda nodded, leaving the office.

Professor Ozpin sat by himself, quietly, watching the boy in the elevator on his scroll, pondering.

* * *

Alright, that's the end of this chapter guys, hope you're having as much fun reading this as I am!


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 guys. I really appreciate the support you guys have been giving me. I'm kind of using these as practice for writing my own original works.

* * *

Jaye stepped into the lecture theatre, a good thirty minutes late. Professor Oobleck regarded him with a blank look.

'Ah Mister Ryder. Would you care to explain why you are late?' The Professor zipped up to him, much too close for comfort. Jaye started at the sudden apparition of Professor Oobleck's face.

'JESU-Ah…I was having a talking with Miss Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin.' Jaye responded, staring at face that was far too close to his own. Professor Oobleck observed him for a moment, sipping loudly from his cup right in Jaye's face before zipping back to his desk.

'Very well Mister Ryder, take your seat.' The hyperactive professor sipped rapidly from a coffee cup. Jaye walked over to where Blake was waving at him and slid into the booth. He jumped again, banging his knees against the bottom of the table, when Professor Oobleck suddenly apparated in front of him.

'And it's Professor Goodwitch, by the by.' He informed the startled boy, zipping back to his desk. Jaye placed a hand over his racing heart.

'What the heck is wrong with this guy!' He wheezed, his heart still hammering against his ribcage from the heart attack he'd nearly had. Blake patted him on the back.

'Don't worry, he startled us too, but you'll probably get used to it in the next half-hour or so.' She soothed, clearly amused by the usually unshakeable Jaye doubled over to avoid having a fit. Professor Oobleck cleared his throat loudly.

'As I was saying, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie.' The green haired Sonic The Hedgehog reincarnate declared, taking rapid sips from his coffee cup. He zipped to the front of the class.

'Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the….' The professor zipped back and forth within the classroom. Jaye leaned forward in his seat. As much as he hated class, this professor, once you got used to the rapid movement, was actually quite entertaining, and he was interested to know about the Faunus War.

'Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?' He posed to the class. Weiss, like the goody two shoes know it all she was, raised her hand.

'The battle at Fort Castle.' She declared, and Professor Oobleck dashed back to his desk.

'Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?' He asked again. At this point, Jaye noticed Cardin flick something at Jaune's head. Jaune, who was fast asleep, was shocked awake. On his movement, Professor Oobleck shot over to him.

'MR ARC! FINALLY CONTRIBUTING TO CLASS! THIS IS EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT! What is the answer!' He asked like an excited puppy, clearly invading Jaune's personal space. Jaune looked at him, confusion plastered across his face.

'Uuuuuuh…the answer…' He stammered, while Professor Oobleck stared at him in anticipation. 'The advantage…of the Faunus…had over that guy's stuff…'

Jaune glanced desperately around the room, finally noticing Pyrrha, who was gesturing frantically at him. She had her hands cupped around her eyes, and he squinted at her gesture.

'Uuuuh, binoculars!' Jaune announced, and the class erupted into laughter. Pyrrha and Jaye simultaneously facepalmed, and the Professor shot back to his desk.

'Very funny Mister Arc. Cardin! Perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on the subject?'

Cardin rocked back in his seat, his legs on the desk. 'Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier.'

'You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?' Pyrrha shot at him, glaring slightly. He returned the glare, raising his hands confrontationally.

'What? You got a problem?' He challenged. Pyrrha ignored him, turning back to the Professor.

'No. I have the answer. It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark.' She answered, and Professor Oobleck smiled. Cardin groaned to himself, rolling his eyes.

'General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep.' Blake continued. 'His massive army was outmatched, and the General was captured. Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure.'

Cardin, clenched his fist, rising from his chair. Blake narrowed her eyes at him, and Jaye prepared to step in front of her if the need arose.

'Mister Winchester, please take your seat. You and Mister Arc can both see me after class for additional readings.' He sipped again from his ever-present coffee cup, and Jaune groaned in response. 'Now! Moving on.' The Professor shot across the classroom again.

* * *

After Class

* * *

'You two have been struggling in my class from day one! Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is, it stops now.' Professor Oobleck declared to the two boys, placing his mug down on the table.

'You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best. SO! I expect you to act like it.' He announced, retrieving his coffee mug. 'History is important gentlemen! If you can't learn from it, you're destined to repeat it.'

He paused emphatically, before raising his mug in the air. 'Pages 51 to 91. I want an essay on my desk by next class!'

The Professor darted out of the classroom. Jaune groaned, gathering his things, and trudged out the door. Walking up from behind him, Cardin shoved Jaune to the floor, stalking off angrily. Pyrrha, who was standing by the door along with Blake, Ren, Nora and Jaye, hurried over to help him up, pulling him to his feet.

'You know, I really will break his legs.' She huffed, glaring at Cardin's back. Jaune sighed, clearly exhausted by everything. Pyrrha studied him for a moment concernedly, and Jaune refused to meet her gaze. All of a sudden, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Jaye pull her away from Jaune.

'Hey!' She exclaimed, and Jaye ignored her. Walking up to the blond, Jaye shoved him to the floor again.

'Ow! Hey man, what's your deal?' Jaune yelled, dragging himself to his feet. Jaye kicked him in the chest, sending him skidding across the floor.

'Jaye! What are you doing! Leave him alone!' Pyrrha shouted, and the group started towards him. Jaye snapped his fingers, and the group skidded to a halt as a wall of ice shot up between them and the boys.

Turning his attention back to Jaune, who was getting off the floor, Jaye promptly kicked him again.

'Get up.' He told the scraggly blond, kicking him to the floor again. Jaune flailed his arms at Jaye.

'I can't get up if you don't let me!' He yelled, earning him a kick across the face this time.

'That's the point you idiot.' Jaye growled, kicking him again.

'HEY! JAYE WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!' Jaye looked up to see Ruby and Yang standing down the corridor from him. Snapping his fingers again, another wall of ice shot up between them, and Yang charged it.

'What the heck? He doesn't even have his dust with him, how's he doing this?!' Yang yelled, punching the wall. Behind the other wall, Pyrrha pounded on it to no avail.

'JAYE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! TAKE THIS WALL DOWN!' She yelled, and Nora backed up a few steps.

'Pyrrha, step aside!' She cautioned, and Pyrrha dived out of the way.

Jaye grabbed Jaune by the collar pulling him to his feet. At that moment, both ice walls came crashing down, and the two groups rushed in.

'STAND UP FOR YOURSELF!' Jaye yelled into Jaune's face, shaking him violently, and the blond stared at him dumbly.

'WHY DO YOU ALWAYS LET PEOPLE PUSH YOU AROUND?! AREN'T YOU TIRED OF THIS?!' He yelled, and Jaune just stared at the floor, unresponsive. Clenching his teeth, Jaye cocked back his arm, raising his fist. Pyrrha jumped between them.

'JAYE! STOP!' She yelled, and Jaye paused, fist still raised.

'Come with me!' She grabbed Jaune by the hand, dragging him with her.

Jaye watched them go, letting his hand fall to his side again. Yang stormed up to him, grabbing him by the collar.

'Alright buddy, you've got some explaining to do before I decide to go to town on you, so you'd better have a damn good explanation for this.' Yang hissed in his face, seething with anger. Jaye stared back at her, uncaring, and Yang raised a fist.

'Yang, wait.' Nora cut in, and Ren put a hand on her shoulder.

* * *

A Few Minutes Later

* * *

'So that's what happened.' Yang sighed, pacing. She kicked the wall.

'Damn it. We really _should_ just break Cardin's legs.' She kicked the wall again.

'No.' Jaye said, crossing his arms. 'Jaune needs to handle this himself.'

The group fell into silence, knowing that he was right. Nora looked around nervously, the silence unsettling her. She searched desperately for a way to lighten the mood.

'So Jaye, this totally isn't like you! Who knew you cared so much for Jaune, huh?' She elbowed him playfully, but the forced joviality did little for their moods. Nora's face fell again. Ruby took a deep breath.

'I think…the fact that Jaye wouldn't normally do this, really just goes to show how bad this is.' The hooded girl voiced what was on everyone's minds. 'Jaye's right. Jaune needs to either handle this himself, or not at all. HE has to stop the bullying, and we can only help him if he asks for it.'

* * *

Dormitory Rooftop

* * *

Jaune stepped through the door to the roof, and was greeted by a magnificent view of the CCT Tower. Behind them, a doorway led down into the dorms, and another wall behind that led up to a higher dormer roof, designed like a traditional medieval castle would be. Turning to the red head, he shook his head.

'Pyrrha, I know that I'm going through a hard time right now, but I'm not THAT depressed.' He told her, peeking over the edge. 'I can always be a farmer, or something.'

Pyrrha's eyes darted confusedly between Jaune's face and the edge of the building. She jumped in realization, and pushed Jaune away from the edge.

'N-No! That's not why I brought you up here!' She panicked, waving her hands awkwardly. She realized what she was doing, and stopped, letting them fall to her sides.

'Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class. And that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so…' Pyrrha steadied herself, taking a deep breath.

'I want to help you!' She blurted out, blushing furiously as she did so. 'We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!'

Jaune scratched his head, staring at the ground. 'You think I need help?'

'No! No, that's not what I meant!' She reached for his hand, pausing, settled for hugging her arm instead.

'But you just said it.' Jaune replied, and Pyrrha sighed in exasperation.

'Jaune, everyone needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us.' She reasoned, speaking with increasing fervor. 'You made it to Beacon, that speaks volumes of what you're capable of!'

Jaune turned away from her. 'You're wrong, I-I don't belong here.'

'That's a terrible thing to say, of course you do!' Pyrrha began but Jaune interrupted her.

'No, I don't! I-…I wasn't really accepted into Beacon.' He admitted, glaring at the floor. Pyrrha paused for a moment, stunned.

'Wha-What do you mean?' Jaune sighed, turning away from her.

'I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests, I didn't earn my spot in this academy! I lied, okay? I got my hands on some fake transcripts and I lied.' Pyrrha stared at him, dumbfounded.

'What? But, why?' Jaune whirled on the red head.

'Beacause-! This is what I've always wanted to be! My Father, my Grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one too. I was just never good enough' He confessed, kicking at the floor. Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder.

'Then let me help you!' She offered, and the blond whirled on her.

'I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!' He yelled, slamming his fist into his chest.

'I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand?!' Jaune threw his arms into the air, as if trying to release his pain and his suffering. 'If I don't do this on my own, then what good am I?'

Pyrrha reached for his hand, and he pulled away.

'Just…leave me alone. Okay?' He told her, looking away, and Pyrrha dropped her hand, hugging herself. He glanced at her, and was shocked to see tears in her eyes. Pyrrha blinked, a tear sliding down her cheek, and turned away from him.

'If that's what you think is best.' She replied, trying her best to sound calm. She left quietly, tears pouring down her face, and Jaune watched her leave. He paced quietly, not noticing Jaye shift in the shadows. He sat quietly on the slanted roof, out of sight from Jaune, and pondered about what he'd just heard.

'Oh Jaune.' A snide voice sounded from below, and Jaune jumped as Cardin's head, popped up over the ledge.

'Cardin?! What are you doing here?!' Jaune exclaimed in surprise, and the snide bully walked over to him.

'I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room. So, you snuck into Beacon huh?' He revealed, a wide grin plastered across his face, and Jaune felt a soul-crushing terror envelop him. 'I gotta say Jaune, I never expected YOU to be such a rebel.'

'Please Cardin, please don't tell anyone.' He begged, and Cardin smirked even wider.

'Jaune, come on, I'd never rat out a friend like that!' He said, strolling over to Jaune, throwing an arm over his shoulders.

'Uh, a friend?' Jaune repeated, skeptical, and Cardin's arm shifted from Jaune's shoulders to his neck, pulling him into a headlock.

'Of course! We're friends now Jauney Boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we're going to be friends for a long time.' Cardin said triumphantly, choking Jaune. He finally let go, and Jaune dropped to the ground, heaving. Jaye seriously considered kicking Cardin off the roof there and then, but decided against it. Jaune _needed_ to overcome this himself.

'That being said, I really don't have time to do the readings Doctor Oobleck gave us today.' He told Jaune, leaning over the blond boy. 'Think you could, take care of that for me, buddy? That's what I thought.'

He rustled Jaune's hair violently, throwing the blond's head back and forth. Laughing, he turned around, making his way back to the ledge.

'Don't worry Jaune; your secret's safe with me.' He said, grinning, as he lowered himself down to the window. Jaune sat on the floor, stunned, unmoving, staring into blank space. He picked himself slowly off the floor. Jaye stood up, sliding down the slant and onto the flat roof.

'Hey.' He called, and Jaune jumped for the second time that evening.

'Are you serious?! Will you people stop sneaking up on me!' He turned to face the dark-haired boy. 'So I'm guessing you overheard too. Whoopdie do. Do you want me to do _your_ homework too?'

The blond dropped his head in defeat, and Jaye placed himself right in front of him.

'I only want one thing from you.' He declared, and Jaune glanced up at him.

'And what's that?' He asked, exasperated and resigned to the worst. Jaye stared him in the eye.

'I want you to stand up for yourself.' He said firmly, and Jaune looked at him in confusion.

'What? Why? I thought you hated me?' He shook his head in disbelief, and, noting Jaye's incredulous look, scratched his head sheepishly. 'It certainly seemed that way earlier.'

'Oh for God's sake, you think I did that to you in the hall because I _hated_ you?! If I really hated you, do you think I'd be here telling you this?' Jaye rolled his eyes, squaring up to the taller boy, grabbing him by the collar.

'If I really hated you, I wouldn't even acknowledge your existence, and if you managed to annoy me, I'd do far worse than just kick you.' He spat, shoving Jaune backwards.

'We all want to be heroes, Jaune, that's why we're here. That's why we came to Beacon in the first place. But we never did it alone, none of us did. You think we became great fighters just training by ourselves?' He turned away from the dejected blond, walking to the door.

'I don't hate you, but the way you are right now? I can't even bring myself to tolerate you. If you want my respect, hell if you respect yourself, then you'd do something about this crap you're stuck in.' Jaye kicked the door open, pausing in the doorway.

'And you'd better damn well apologize to Pyrrha. She's deserves better.' He added, disappearing down the dark stairway.

Jaune stared after him, kicking at the ground. He gazed up at the sky, hoping for some comfort in the constellations. But there wasn't a star in sight, and he felt terribly, terribly alone.

* * *

So that's chapter 9 done guys. Let me know if you have any ideas for future chapters. Also, I'm thinking of writing a couple of spinoff chapters and oneshots, possibly and probably involving Jaye. Mostly will be for hilarious events from RWBY Chibi, or for little romance oneshots. If ya'll are reading this, do me a favor and read those and post reviews. I want to get better at writing romances, so I'm gonna need you guys' help!


	11. Chapter 10

Hey guys, Chapter 10

* * *

'How come Jaune gets home so late?' Nora asked, bouncing on the bed. Pyrrha sighed, staring out the window.

'He's become rather scarce ever since he's been fraternizing with Cardin.' Ren noted, cleaning his guns, and Nora cocked her head to the side.

'That's weird. Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow?' She pondered, spinning head over heels and splaying herself out on her mattress. 'We need our rest!'

'I'm sure our leader knows _exactly_ what he's doing.' Pyrrha muttered, glaring out the window. Ren and Nora glanced at each other, unsure of what to say.

'Hmm, I guess so…' The orange-haired girl said skeptically.

Outside the room, Jaune peeked through the door, watching his three team members. Sighing, he closed it with a gentle click. He couldn't bring himself to walk into the room. Sighing, he released the doorknob.

'Hey Jaune!' He turned around, startled, as a cheery and familiar voice rang out behind him. Ruby stood behind him in her pajamas, smiling cheerfully.

'Long time no see!' She mused, studying the boy. 'Did you lock yourself out again?'

'Oh, uuh, nope! Got it!' He laughed nervously, holding up his scroll. Ruby looked at him, and Jaune got the feeling she was seeing right through him.

'So…where have you been lately?' She questioned, and Jaune turned away.

'I uh…' He hung his head, sighing. 'I messed up.'

Ruby was slightly stunned at the easy admission, and took a step forward. Jaune swung his arms helplessly.

'I did something I shouldn't have, and now Cardin's got me on a leash and Pyrrha won't even talk to me and-…I'm starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea.' He blurted, staring desperately at the dark-haired girl, and hung his head. He slid down the door, staring at his lap. 'I'm a failure.'

Ruby pondered what he said for a moment.

'Nope!' She replied cheerily, and Jaune glanced up at her.

'Nope?' He asked, and Ruby shook her head.

'Nope!' She repeated, walking towards him. 'You're a leader now Jaune, you're not allowed to be a failure.'

'But, what if I'm a failure at being a leader?' He asked, and the dark haired girl sat down beside him.

'Mmmm...nope!' She repeated again, and Jaune laughed weakly.

'You know, you're not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff.' He mused, and Ruby laughed.

'Nope!' She replied again, thrusting her head towards him with a huge grin on her face. Jaune grinned back widely, and Ruby turned to face the wall.

'Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid, you might have even been a failure the first day we met!' Jaune sunk lower with every word, confidence crushed, and Ruby took a deep breath.

'But you can't be one now. You know why?' She asked, and the blond looked at her quietly. 'Because it's not just about you anymore!'

She waved an admonishing finger in his face. 'You've got a team now Jaune, we both do. And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us! We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second.'

Ruby got to her feet, hands on her hips, looking down at him. 'Your team deserves a great leader Jaune, and I think that can be you.'

Ruby turned away, pushing the door to her room open.

'Have a good night Jaune.' She said, slipping inside, shutting the door behind her, She turned to look at the shadowy corner beside her.

'Was that good enough?' She asked the shadows, and blinked as Jaye seemed to materialize out of nowhere, stepping quietly out from the shadowed corner.

'Yeah, that was fine.' He told her, and she smiled at him, walking back to her bed.

'Cool! Because that was terrifying to do. I hope he doesn't take things too harshly, considering I'm, you know, a few years younger than him.' She admitted, slipping under the covers, and Jaye shook his head.

'I don't think so. At least I hope he won't. Still, thanks for helping me with this. I needed another leader to talk to him, and you're the only one I'm on speaking terms with.' He walked over to his bed, chucking his scroll beside his pillow. Ruby observed him with a small smile.

'You know, the first impression we all got from you was that you didn't care about anything else, especially not anyone else. I never thought you'd be trying to help Jaune like this.' Jaye glared at the raven-haired girl, and she giggled, rolling over.

'What's that supposed to mean?' He questioned, pausing, and Ruby giggled again.

'Nothing~ ' She sang quietly, and Jaye narrowed his eyes at her. Smiling under her sheets, Ruby clutched her pillow close to her chest.

'Goodnight Jaye!' she called, and laughed at Jaye's grunt in response. Jaye, who was standing by the window, gazed out at the moon.

* * *

The Next Day

* * *

'Yes students, the forest of Forever Fall IS indeed beautiful, but we are not here to sight-see.' Professor Goodwitch informed the students as they strolled through the forest, and Jaye had to admit, it was extremely beautiful. The forest, as the name suggested, was in a state of permanent Fall. As he watched, red leaves rained down onto the ground around him, like a gentle red rain, and he was captivated by the sight. It was a tumult of maroon, and as he watched, he saw leaves grow at a rapid pace on the branches, falling off the moment they matured.

There wasn't a clear patch anywhere around him, and he swept away at a spot with his foot. He realized there was an immensely thick underbrush of fallen leaves under him, and as he dug down a bit further, realized that at the bottom, leaves were being swallowed up by the soil rapidly, just fast enough to prevent too large a pileup of leaves, but slow enough to allow the falling leaves to blanket the area in a beautiful red. He marveled at the wondrous system the forest had created, and silently prayed that no one would disturb its natural beauty. His thoughts were disrupted by Professor Goodwitch.

'Now, Professor Peaches has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so.' She said, halting rather abruptly. Jaune, who was holding a crate filled with glass containers, collided with Cardin, earning a glare from the boy. Jaune looked away, grinning nervously.

'Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap.' The blond professor continued, raising a jar of sap for reference. 'However, this forest is full of creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!'

Cardin, grinning, turned to Jaune, grabbing him by the hood. 'C'mon buddy! Let's go.'

Jaye watched as the blond boy was dragged off by Cardin, and he shook his head in disbelief. Yang, noticing his gaze, patted him on the shoulder.

'Something wrong?' She asked, and Jaye watched the Jaune disappear between the trees.

'No, it's nothing.' He said, turning to follow his team, and Yang looked at him skeptically. Jaye paused as Ruby appeared in front of him. His leader looked him in the eye, studying him.

'Go, we'll take care of this for you.' She told him, swiping the jar out of his hand. Jaye looked at Ruby for a moment. Yang looked back and forth between the two, utterly confused.

'Thanks. I owe you one.' Jaye said shortly, darting off between the trees, and Ruby smiled after him. Yang grabbed her sister by the shoulders.

'Are you two hiding something from me? That hurts sis.' The blonde pouted, and Ruby laughed, patting her on the shoulder.

'C'mon, I'll tell you on the way.' She said, and the two jogged after Blake and Weiss.

* * *

Between The Trees

* * *

Jaye, slipped between tree trunks, searching quietly. He scaled a tree to get a better look, before hearing a clinking sound from just a little away. He saw a flash of sunlight, like it had glinted on something, and looked closer. He realized the glint was coming from Cardin's armor, and he quietly hopped between trees, closing in on them.

'Hey! Great work Jauney Boy!' He heard Cardin call, and saw Jaune collapsed on the ground, lying between several jars of sap.

'Ugh…I think I'm allergic to this stuff.' Jaune moaned, and Cardin got up from where he was splayed out against a tree.

'Great, great, great. So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself, why'd my buddy Cardin ask me to gather SIX jars of sap when there's only FIVE of us?' Cardin continued, a malicious grin spreading across his face. Jaune' still on the floor, looked up at him suspiciously.

'That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes.' He admitted, pulling himself to his feet.

'Well…come with me and you'll find out.' Cardin grinned even wider, and the four members of team CRDL pushed their way through a clump of bushes, Jaune lagging slightly behind. Sliding down from the tree he was perched in, Jaye followed them quietly, keeping himself hidden between bushes. He watched as the five boys approached a small rise, keeping out of sight of someone.

Scaling another tree, Jaye glanced over the ridge, and swore. On the other side of the ridge, the other members of Teams RRWBY and JNPR were busy collecting sap. Thanks to that, they didn't notice the five boys on the small rise behind them. He saw Nora quietly drinking tree sap from Ren's filled jar, and chuckled quietly as Ren glared at her.

'Cardin? What's going on?' Jaune asked hesitantly, and Cardin continued staring at the group. Following his gaze, Jaye realized Cardin was staring not at the group, but rather, at a certain redhead amongst them.

'Payback.' The armored boy announced, and Jaune glanced at the group.

'Pyrrha?!' He murmured in realization. Cardin slapped his fist into the ground.

'That's the girl. Red-haired, know it all, thinks she's so smart.' Cardin muttered, glaring in her direction. He pulled forward a box he'd been carrying.

'Alright boys, last night ol' Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of rapier wasps. And now, we're gonna put em to work.' He declared, and Russel threw an arm over Jaune's shoulders, shaking him in anticipation.

'Now, according to one of the essays he wrote for me last week, these nasty things loooove sweets. I'm thinking it's time we taught her a thing or two.' Cardin's grip tightened over the box, and Jaune gulped nervously. Cardin got to his feet, giving the box to Russel, yanking Jaune up with him.

'And you're gonna do it.' He told the blond, shoving a jar of sap into his hands. Jaune stared at the jar blankly.

'Do what?' He asked, and Cardin rolled his eyes.

'Hit her with the sap! Either that, or I have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon.' Cardin smirked triumphantly, jabbing Jaune on the chest.

Jaye, meanwhile in the tree, pulled his shield off his back. Hitting another button on it, he transferred the shield to his right hand. The handle of the shield rotated, changing into a pistol grip, and the blades at the sides of the shield retracted. A shoulder stock flipped down from the back, and a scope rose out of the top. The underside of the shield opened slightly, extending a small forehand grip, and a barrel extended from the front. The sides of the shield opened, a small rail-slide extending from the right side, and the butt of a box magazine extending from the left. Jaye brought the shield, now a high-caliber dust/aura based sniper rifle, up to his eye, and took aim.

' _What's taking it so long?!'_ Jaye thought to himself, cocking the rifle.

He contemplated shooting a hole in the box in Russel's hands and setting the wasps free, but that wouldn't do much good if Jaune threw that jar. He set his crosshairs on the jar of sap in the boy's hand and prepared to fire, but he hesitated. Through the scope it was easy to tell; the boy's hand was trembling. His finger paused on the trigger.

'No.' Jaune muttered, lowering his hand. Jaye heaved a sigh of relief, taking his finger off the trigger. Cardin glared at him, balling his hands into fists.

'What did you say?' He started towards the blond, and Jaune whirled on him.

'I said, NO!' He repeated, hurling the jar of sap at Cardin. It shattered against his armor, the sap splattering over his chest. Cardin stared at it for a moment in disbelief, before returning his attention to Jaune.

'Oh-ho-ho…You've done it now.' He gestured to his teammates, and two of them stepped forward, grabbing Jaune by the shoulders. They dragged him over, dumping him at Cardin's feet. The bully grabbed him by the collar, picking him off his feet.

'You're going to regret that, Jauney Boy.'

* * *

That's the end of this, thanks for reading guys! Also, if you're following this story, do favourite, review, follow etc. Those are the things that give me an indication that people are reading and enjoying my stories! So if you really like it, that's how I'm gonna know!


	12. Chapter 11

Hey guys, chapter 11.

* * *

Jaune hit the ground with a grunt, gasping for air. Cardin stood over him, grinning with a controlled anger.

'You know that wasn't very smart Jauney boy. I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny, tiny, pieces.' Cardin picked Jaune off his feet, holding him by the collar. Jaune, now battered and bruised, groaned in response.

Jaye, still in the trees, dropped his crosshairs onto Cardin's head. He placed his finger on the trigger, but didn't pull it. Dropping the gun onto his lap, Jaye clenched his teeth.

' _No. Jaune does this on his own, or not at all.'_ He told himself, observing the fight quietly.

'I don't care what you do to me.' He said, staring defiantly into Cardin's eyes. 'But you are not messing with my team.'

Cardin laughed. 'You think talk like that makes you tough? You think you're a big strong man now?!'

Jaye cringed at Cardin's words, rolling his eyes.

' _You're just laying your own insecurities out on the table Cardin. God, you idiots are all the same, picking on people just because you can't stomach how pathetic your own damn self is.'_ Jaye thought, raising the gun again. He paused as the underbrush rustled.

Jaune chuckled weakly, only serving to piss Cardin off even more. Cardin flashed a forced grin, raising his fist. The instant his fist made contact with Jaune's face, a bright light flashed out, and Jaye was blinded for a moment, instinctively turning his face away. Cardin dropped Jaune, clutching his hand in pain. Jaune, now on the floor, touched his now fully healed face in surprise. He stared at his glowing hands, astonished, before Sky Lark kicked him to the floor.

Cardin, growling with anger, stepped on Jaune's outstretched hand. 'Let's see how much of a man you really are!'

Cardin raised his foot to stomp down on Jaune's face, and Jaye levelled his gun at the boy. He settled the cross hairs on Cardin's raised leg, but before he could pull the trigger, he was interrupted by a heaving growl. With a resounding crash, an Ursa Major emerged snarling from the trees. Sniffing, the Ursa set its sights on Cardin, and Jaye realized why. The sap on the boy's chest was drawing the massive beast to him. Cursing, Jaye shifted through the trees to a better position.

'Stupid idiot, taking so long, fragging stupid ridiculous…' Jaye muttered a string of cuss words under his breath as he jumped between trees.

'That's a big Ursa!' The members of team CRDL yelled, making a break for the trees, leaving Jaune and Cardin behind to fend for themselves. Cardin screamed as he was swatted away by the hulking beast. Pawing the ground, the Ursa ignored Jaune, following the scent of the sweet sap. Jaye paused for a moment, watching as Jaune's head darted between the Ursa, and a clear escape route behind him.

This was the deciding moment for Jaune, Jaye thought, putting down the gun. Should he run, or save Cardin, the decision was up to him. He had no place interfering with it.

* * *

A Short Distance Away

* * *

Ruby looked up from her jar of sap as a distant roar rang out.

'Did you guys hear that?' She asked, and jumped as the three remaining members of team CRDL came charging through the trees.

'URSA! URSA!' Russel screamed with wild abandon, running into Yang in the process. She grabbed him by the collar, picking him off his feet.

'What? Where?!' She yelled, and Russel pointed behind him.

'Back there! It's got Cardin!' Pyrrha dropped her sap jar, her hands shooting up to her face.

'Jaune–!' She gasped, and Ruby grit her teeth.

'Yang! You and Blake go get Professor Goodwitch!' Ruby ordered, and Yang threw the struggling boy aside, nodding in acknowledgement.

'You two go with them!' Pyrrha told Ren and Nora. 'There could be more.'

* * *

Back In The Clearing

* * *

'Crap crap crap!' Cardin cried, crawling desperately away from the beast. He screamed in terror as the beast swatted him into the air again. The Ursa bore down on the terrified boy just as Pyrrha, Weiss and Ruby came bursting into the clearing.

'Oh no! We have to help him!' Ruby cried, flipping open her scythe. The beast growled again, swinging its giant paw, and Ruby leveled Crescent Rose to fire.

Charging out of nowhere, Jaune dived between Cardin and the Ursa, absorbing the blow with his shield. Struggling to keep it up, Jaune groaned as the grimm pushed down. Weiss spun Myrtenaster up, ready to charge in, but Pyrrha held out her hand.

'Wait!' she cried, and Weiss stared at her in confusion. Jaune, finally gaining some leverage, slashed at the grimm's head. Stumbling back, the creature roared to the sky. Jaune dived to the side, avoiding its follow up strike, leaping over the next one, but grunted in pain as he failed to evade the third one. The blow sent him flying backwards, nearly landing on Cardin. Jaune rolled to his feet, charging desperately at the beast. Leaping for a flying strike, the beast knocked him out of the air, and Jaune hit the ground, gasping for air.

'That's it, I'm going in.' Weiss spun Myrtenaster into a combat stance, and started as a bullet impacted the ground in front of her feet.

'Wha–? Who fired that?!' She exclaimed, before noticing a glint of light amongst the trees. Looking closely, she spotted Jaye, crouching on a branch. He stared back at her, shaking his head, before returning his attention to the fight. He stared at Jaune, noticing the boy's scroll through his scope. His aura had dropped into the red. One more hit, and the boy would be done for. His grip tightened on the trigger, and he glanced at Pyrrha. The red head nodded at him, and he took aim at the Ursa.

Jaune charged in desperately, dropping his shield as he did. Pyrrha raised her arm, her hand glowing with a mysteriously dark light, and Jaye noticed. Turning back to the fight, he saw Jaune's shield move up, the dark glow surrounding it, and the Ursa's paw glanced off the hard metal surface, dropping the boy onto a knee. He saw the Ursa's other paw move, and he pulled the trigger.

The bullet cut through the air, striking the Ursa's paw as it was raised, halting the movement. With a tremendous effort, Jaune pushed the paw off, swinging Crocea Mors with all his might. It whistled towards the beast's neck, and moments later the massive head crashed to the ground. Jaune froze in place, as if stunned by what he just did, staring down at the severed head in shock. Pyrrha let her outstretched hand fall, and the two girls stared at the redhead.

'Uh, what?' Ruby said, utterly confused by what just happened, and the heiress stared at the redhead's hands.

'How did you–?' She questioned, and Pyrrha gave her a small smile.

'Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs, my semblance is polarity.' The redhead answered, turning her gaze back to Jaune.

'Ah…you can control poles.' The hooded girl replied, staring in awe and still confusion.

'No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!' Weiss admonished the still awestruck girl.

'Magnets are cool too.' Ruby whispered, and Weiss threw her head back in frustration. Pyrrha turned to leave quietly, and the two girls looked at her, surprised.

'Wait where are you going? We gotta tell them what happened!' Ruby called, and Pyrrha smiled at her.

'We could…' She mused, watching the blond boy put away his sword. 'Or, perhaps, we could just keep it our little secret.'

The three smiled, turning to leave. Jaune approached the stunned Cardin, who was still lying on the ground, and offered him his hand. Pulling him to his feet, Jaune pulled the boy closer, glaring straight at him.

'Holy crap, Jaune…' Cardin started, and Jaune cut him off.

'Don't ever mess with my team…my FRIENDS…ever again. Got it?' He told the bully, and without waiting for an answer, turned, and left. Jaye smiled in satisfaction, returning his shield to his back, and hopped out of the tree, passing silently between the bushes.

* * *

Some Distance Away

* * *

'Ah!' The three girls jumped as Jaye popped out of the bushes next to them. Weiss glared at the dark-haired boy, and Jaye offered her an apologetic grin in return. Pyrrha turned to him, smiling.

'Thank you for your help Jaye.' Pyrrha told the grinning boy, and Jaye nodded, waving a hand dismissively.

'Don't mention it.' He replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. Weiss and Ruby stared at the two of them in shock.

'Wait, you two planned this?!' The heiress yelled accusatively, and Jaye laughed.

'Well kind of.' Pyrrha said, smiling nervously.

'Well not so much planned it, more like the pieces just fell into place.' Jaye admitted, twirling a dagger in his hand. 'We definitely didn't plan the Ursa, we were just planning to watch over Jaune until an opportunity arose to help him settle his demons.'

'The Ursa showing up and attacking Cardin just so happened to be a grand opportunity that presented itself, so we took it.' Pyrrha finished, smiling at the two girls.

'Wow, I really didn't know you'd go this far Jaye. This is seriously out of character for you, it's creepy.' Weiss told the boy, and he shrugged.

'Whatever you say Ice Queen.' He shot back, putting away his dagger. The three girls turned, heading for the rendezvous point. Once the girls' backs were turned, Jaye chucked a small vial into the trees beside him.

The vial popped open as it hit the floor, a red liquid spilling out from it. It was the tree sap that had drawn the Ursa to Cardin earlier. Unbeknownst even to Pyrrha, let alone the other girls, Jaye had done extensive research before they'd come to the forest.

He'd overheard Cardin's orders to Jaune the previous night, having bugged Jaune's scroll, and guessed what the Rapier Wasps were for. The Ursa Major finding them had been no accident, Jaye had gone to find one, laying a trail of sap for it to follow, tracking Jaune via his scroll. Jaune throwing the jar of sap at Cardin had only made his life easier, as he didn't have to use the special bullet he'd made the previous night, filled with a scent that was known to attract Ursa.

It was far stronger, and would easily capture more attention from the Ursa than the sap. The plan had actually been to shoot Cardin with the scent, and see what Jaune did, but things worked out in his favor this time.

'Jaye, pick up the pace!' Ruby called back, and Jaye jogged to meet them, quietly grinning to himself.

* * *

At The Rendezvous Point

* * *

'By the way, how did you know what I was going to do?' Pyrrha asked Jaye, and he looked up at her in confusion.

'What are you talking about?' He asked quizzically, and Pyrrha looked about warily for the blond boy. Leaning closer, she whispered.

'How'd you know I was going to move Jaune's shield?' She asked, and Jaye laughed.

'Oh that? I already knew what your semblance was, and the guy wasn't defending himself, so the logical thing to do that would save him and not bust you at the same time would be to just quietly move his shield.' He reasoned.

'Besides, I wasn't sure what you were going to do. In the end, I just thought that if you did something to save him then I'd shoot the Ursa, and if you didn't, I'd shoot it anyway.' Pyrrha stared at him, mouth agape.

'But I never told you about my semblance!' She whispered furiously, and Jaye grinned at her, a mischievous glint in his eye.

'I pride myself in figuring things out about my opponents you know. I fought you before, so of course I'd have figured out what your semblance was. Why else do you think I'd forfeit for? Your semblance is _kind_ of unfair.' He told the astonished girl, taking in the shocked look on her face. He laughed, walking off, leaving Pyrrha staring after him.

* * *

That Night

* * *

Jaune stood on the rooftop, staring at the CCT tower in the distance. He sighed to himself, thinking back on the events that had transpired, and wondered how he was going to fix things. In the end, he had no idea how to approach Pyrrha after what happened, and he wondered if he was ever going to be able to do it.

'No Cardin tonight?' Jaune started as Pyrrha's voice rang out behind him, the redhead seemingly appearing out of nowhere. 'I thought you two were best buds?'

' _It's now or never.'_ Jaune thought to himself, steeling his nerves. He turned to face the redhead, trembling slightly.

'Pyrrha, I'm sorry. I was a jerk, you were only trying to be nice and–…I–I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head and–…' He blurted, nervously staring at his feet.

'Jaune. It's okay.' Pyrrha cut him off, smiling. 'Your team really misses their leader, you know.'

She turned to leave, calling over her shoulder.

'You should come down! Ren made pancakes~ ' She sang, swaying her hips. 'No syrup though, you can thank Nora for that.'

'Wait!' Jaune exclaimed, flinching slightly at the sound of his own voice. He took a deep breath.

'I know I don't deserve it after all that's happened, but…' He looked away, and grit his teeth. 'Would you till be willing to help me? To help me become a better fighter?'

Pyrrha turned away from the boy in mock deliberation, smiling to herself as she did flips in her head, nearly going giddy in excitement and happiness. Turning back to the boy, she quietly walked up to him, and shoved him to the floor.

'Hey!' Jaune exclaimed, staring at her. Then again, not like he didn't deserve it. Pyrrha smiled down at him lovingly.

'Your stance is all wrong, you need to be wider and lower to the ground.' She told him, a big smile on her face, and offered him her hand. Jaune took it, grinning back. She pulled him to his feet.

'Let's try that again.'

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

Jaye sat on the other side of the roof, hidden from their view. He smiled to himself quietly, and deliberated if he ought to go down and steal some of their pancakes. He had syrup in his own team's larder. Unfortunately, the only way down was the staircase, and going down that way would mean being seen by the two of them.

' _But seriously though, can't the two of them flirt somewhere else? I was here first, this is my roof.'_ Jaye mused to himself, peeking over the edge to see if he could climb down. Not seeing any other way out, he resigned himself to being stuck there till the two were done with each other.

'Ah…kids these days.' He mumbled to himself, closing his eyes. In a few moments, he was asleep, snoring quietly. Above them, in the night sky, a mass of stars stared down, blinking at them.

* * *

Hey, so this is the end of Jaune's development arc, and now we move on. Hopefully there will be more opportunities for fight scenes later on.


	13. Chapter 12

Hey guys, chapter 12

* * *

'The Vytal Festival! Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!' Weiss celebrated, just short of spinning on the spot. The five members of team RRWBY were currently standing in the middle of a street in the city, where decorations were currently being put up to celebrate the Vytal Festival.

'I don't think I've ever seen you smile his much Weiss, it's kinda weirding me out.' Ruby told the silver-haired girl, and Jaye nodded in agreement. Weiss whirled on the group.

'How could you not smile? It's a festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There'll be dances, parades, even a tournament!' She whirled around again, bouncing excitedly down the street. 'Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!'

'You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring.' Yang sighed, crossing her arms.

'Quiet you.' Weiss told the blond girl. Jaye ducked as another person carrying timber (why on earth were there so many of them?! Were they building a house or something?!) nearly took his head off, and grunted in annoyance as yet another person jostled him from behind.

'Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?' Yang asked as the group stopped by the railing.

'Ugh they smell like fish.' Ruby complained, pinching her nose. Weiss looked towards a large cruise ship arriving at the docks in the distance.

'I heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom.' Weiss declared, skipping off towards the ship.

'She want to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament.' Blake translated, and Weis crossed her arms.

'Ugh, you can't prove that.' Weiss scoffed, glaring at Blake.

'Woah.' Ruby gasped, spotting something down the street. Following her eye, Jaye spotted a large shop cordoned off by yellow police tape. The group approached the crime scene, and were shocked by the sight. The shop windows and the door had been smashed, and it looked like it had been thoroughly looted.

'What happened here?' Ruby asked, and a sunglass wearing police officer looked up.

'Robbery. Second dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle.' He told her, walking into the shop. Jaye stared in through the window. The place had been thoroughly ransacked of all its dust, every crystal stolen and every dispenser drained.

'That's terrible.' Yang said, making a sound of disgust. Jaye looked suspiciously at the seemingly untouched cash register, and a moment later his questions were answered.

'They left all the money again!' Jaye turned to see two of the detectives talking.

'Yeah, just doesn't make a lick o'sense. Who needs that much Dust?'

'I dunno, you know what I mean?'

'You uh…you thinking the White Fang?'

'Yeah I'm thinking we don't get paid enough.'

Weiss crossed her arms. 'Hmph, the White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates.'

Blake glared at her, placing a hand on her hips.

'What's your problem?' She asked the heiress, and Weiss looked at her incredulously.

'My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane.' Weiss declared, flipping her hair nonchalantly.

Blake's anger seemed to rise, her bow scrunching up slightly. 'The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus.'

'Misguided?! They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!' Weiss shot back.

'So then they're VERY misguided! Either way, it doesn't explain why they'd rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale.' Blake reasoned, staring back at the destroyed shop.

'Hmm, Blake's got a point.' Ruby muttered. 'Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few month ago. Maybe it was him?'

'That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum.' Weiss declared stubbornly, crossing her arms. 'Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal.'

'That's not necessarily true.' Yang told the heiress, furrowing her brow.

'Screw not necessarily, it's not true.' Jaye cut in angrily. 'You have a horridly narrow viewpoint on things, Ice Queen. You can NEVER generalize people, everyone's different. How would you like it if I lumped you together with the humans who lie, cheat, steal, and blow shit up JUST BECAUSE you're human too?'

Weiss crossed her arms angrily.

'They're not people. They're Faunus. They're completely different from us.' She declared, picking at her nails nonchalantly. 'Name me one Faunus who isn't like that.'

Jaye raised his hand angrily, and Blake's eyes widened as he momentarily seemed about to point it in her direction. Instead, his hand settled into a fist, and he lowered it slowly.

'Velvet Scarlatina.' Jaye declared, and Weiss stared at him.

'Excuse me?' She asked and Jaye, turned away from her.

'Velvet Scarlatina. She's a second year in Beacon. Sweetest girl I've ever met.' He told her, staring the heiress down. Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a yell from the docks.

'Hey! Stop that Faunus!' The five charged down to the docks, stopping at the rail. They spotted a monkey boy hanging from a light post by his tail, peeling a banana.

'Hey, a "no-good" stowaway would've been caught. I'm a great stowaway.' He said cheekily, and flinched as a rock went sailing past his head.

'Hey, get down from there this instant.' The detectives from earlier approached the Faunus. The boy laughed, throwing his banana peel into one of the detective's faces. Swinging on top of the lamp post, he leaped off, flipping over their heads, charging up the stairs leading to the street.

He charged past the five members of team RRWBY, turning as he did so to meet Blake's eye. Winking at her mischievously, he took off down the street, the detectives hot on his heels.

'Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition. Well, there it goes.' Yang laughed, gesturing at the running boy. Weiss gasped, taking off after him.

'Quick, we have to observe him!' She declared, and the group, all except Jaye, took off running. Groaning, Jaye slowly jogged after them. This was not how he wanted to spend his Friday afternoon. Rounding the corner slowly, he was met with the sound of another argument.

'The mere fact that you would sort that boy with a terrorist group just because of his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be.' Blake argued, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

'So you admit it, the White Fang IS just a radical group of terrorists.'

'That's not what I meant and you know it.'

The argument continued, and Jaye groaned in frustration. He walked over to Yang and Ruby, where they were standing with a girl he'd never met.

'Salutations!' She called to him, waving enthusiastically, and he stared at her, confused.

'Uh…who is this?' Jaye asked Yang, and she shrugged.

'My name is Penny!' The strange girl, Penny, declared, and Jaye raised an eyebrow.

'Right…nice to meet you? I guess?' He said, slightly creeped out. He turned to Yang and Ruby. 'We should probably go.'

'Where are we going?' Jaye started as the girl, Penny, appeared over his shoulder. He looked at his two teammates, the girls staring back at him with pained looks as Blake and Weiss continued to argue.

* * *

Back In The Dorm

* * *

'I don't understand why this is causing such a problem.' Weiss told the dark-haired girl. Blake rolled her eyes.

'That IS the problem.' She shot back, and Weiss got up from the bed.

'You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil!' Blake shot up from her seat as well.

'There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because of people like you, people like Cardin, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!'

'People like me?!'

'You're discriminatory!'

'I'm a victim!' Weiss yelled, and both parties froze. Weiss advanced slowly on Blake.

'You want to know why I despise the White Fang so much? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?' She asked, walking to the window. 'It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed.'

She placed a hand down on the windowsill. 'My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear, board members executed, an entire train car, fill of Dust, stolen.'

She clenched her fist, pressing her knuckles against the windowsill. 'Everyday, my father would come home furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood.'

Ruby walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

'Weiss, I–' She began, but Weiss cut her off.

'NO!' She yelled, her voice rising in pitch. She whirled on Blake, squaring up to her.

'You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, murderers!' She yelled, and Blake's face contorted with anger.

'WELL MAYBE WE WERE JUST TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND!' Blake screamed. She froze, realization dawning on her face, as the other three girls stared at her. She backed away slowly, glancing at Weiss, Jaye, and then the door.

'I–…' She started, but gave up on the thought and dashed out the door.

'Blake! Wait! Come back!' Ruby ran to the doorway, but Blake had already disappeared down the hall. She turned, glancing back across the other shocked faces, only to notice Jaye's unsurprised look. The three girls looked at him.

'Jaye, do you know something we don't?' Ruby asked, and Jaye sighed.

'Maybe. I know something, but it's not my place to say.' He stated, pulling his shirt off and getting into bed. He rolled over, turning away from the girls.

'It's getting late. She'll be back eventually.' He mumbled through the covers, closing his eyes.

* * *

Jaye's Memory: Dorm Room

* * *

'Hey Blake.' Jaye called, and Blake, sitting in her bed, didn't even look up from her book. The two teammates were sitting in the dorm room reading, having chosen to hang back in Beacon while the other three girls went out. Jaye, sitting in a chair near the study desks, quietly monitored the locations of the other three girls with his scroll, having bugged all his teammates' scrolls for security purposes.

'Yeah?' She replied, flipping the page. Jaye stared at the book he was holding, observing her out of the corner of his eye.

'Is there any reason why you don't take off that bow?' He asked casually, and he noticed Blake tense up slightly.

'Not really, why?' She asked with forced casualness, and Jaye smirked to himself.

'Does it have anything to do with those ears you're hiding? Or is there something else?' He said, and smiled as he heard a book drop to the floor. In a flash, Blake was on him, Gambol Shroud pressed against his neck, almost tipping him over in his chair in the process.

'Easy now kitty cat, it was just a question.' He said, a broad smile on his face, raising a hand in surrender. Blake pressed the blade harder into his neck. Jaye's smile faded, and he wiggled his other hand, tapping Blake's side. Glancing down at it, her eyes narrowed as she noticed the knife pressed into her side by his unseen hand. Slowly removing the blade, she took a step back, letting the chair fall back onto all four legs.

'Wow, you're really protective about that, aren't you?' Jaye smiled, and Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud.

'How'd you figure it out?' She asked, and Jaye laughed, spinning the knife between his fingers.

'I didn't. I guessed. Your reaction told me I was right.' He laughed, and Blake reddened in anger.

'Don't worry, you probably fooled everyone else except me. I spent a large part of my life hanging out with Faunus, helps me distinguish. Besides, your ears make your bow move much more than you realize.' Jaye consoled her, flipping the knife in his hand. 'Though I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it.'

'So, what now? What do you have to gain from finding out?' Blake glared at him, dropping down on her bed. Jaye shrugged.

'Nothing really, just wanted to know. It was in the back of my mind, bugging me.' He said, picking his book back up. He waved his hand dismissively at her.

'Calm down lady, go back to your book.' He said, crossing his legs, tossing his knife onto the table. Blake, sat down cautiously, picking her book back up. She opened it, pulling her bookmark out, glancing over at the boy. She locked eyes with him as he glanced back.

'Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me.' He said, quietly returning to his book. Blake could tell; he was dead serious.

Blake turned away from him, staring back at her book. She glanced back, and watched Jaye read for a minute. She eventually decided that it was probably worth it to trust him, and carried on reading.

* * *

So guys, that's how Jaye found out about Blake's ears before everyone else. Have fun reading.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 guys. So anyways, I realized that through this story, I NEVER NAMED HIS WEAPONS. So I'm going to do that from here on out. After doing at least some research.

* * *

'So, you want to know more about me?' Blake said, staring at the blond Faunus across her. The two were sitting in a Café, early in the morning, where no one was around. It had been nearly two days since the incident with Weiss, and Blake hadn't returned to the dorm since then. The blond faunus boy looked up at her voice.

'Finally, she speaks!' He said cheekily, throwing his hands up in the air in mock frustration. 'Nearly two days and you've been giving me nothing but small talk and weird looks!'

Blake glared at him, and he waved his tea cup, his tail wrapped around the handle, at her. 'Yeah! Like that.'

Blake rolled her eyes. 'Sun, are you familiar with the White Fang?'

'Of course! Don't think there's a Faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them!' The monkey boy, Sun, said, grasping the edges of the table. 'Stupid, holier-than-thou creeps who use force to get whatever they want.'

'Bunch of freaks if you ask me.' He finished, kicking back in his chair. Blake quietly sipped from her cup.

'I was…once a member of the White Fang.' Blake admitted, and Sun choked on his tea.

'Wait a minute, YOU were a member of the White Fang?!' He coughed, slamming a fist into his chest. Blake sighed quietly, steeling herself.

'That's right. I was a member for most of my life actually. You could almost say I was born into it.' She said, looking out into the distance as she told her story.

'Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between the humans and the faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as a voice of our people.' Blake twirled a finger through her hair aimlessly.

'And I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. And I actually though we were making a difference... but I was just a youthful optimist.' Sun watched her quietly as she spoke, fingering his teacup.

'Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one took his place. A new leader, with a new way of thinking. Suddenly our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fire to shops that refused to serve us. Hijacking cargo from companies that used faunus labor.' Blake clenched her fist, her eyes narrowing with anger. She looked up at the blond boy, staring into his eyes.

'And the worst part was? It was working. We were being treated like equals. But not out of respect... out of fear.' She told him, and stared down into her cup. 'So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. And instead, I would dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress.'

Sun looked at her, and Blake smiled at him.

'So here I am. A criminal hiding in plain view. All with the help of a little, black, bow.' She said, wiggling her ears under the bow. Sun turned serious, placing his teacup down.

'So…have you told your friends any of this?' He asked, and Blake shook her head.

'Technically no, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of them has already gone out of his way to find this out.'

* * *

Meanwhile In The Dorms

* * *

Jaye smiled to himself, headphones on, as he listened to Blake speak. Her scroll was picking up her voice just fine, sending a direct audio to his through the little bug he'd placed in all his teammates' scrolls, for security reason. He glanced down at the map on his scroll, tracking the little black dot that was Blake.

* * *

'I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much Dust before.; She declared, and Sun paused.

'What if they did? I mean…the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they WERE to do it, and not find them there...right?' He reasoned, and the two paused.

'The only thing is, I have no idea where that would be.' Blake admitted, placing a hand on her chin.

'Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a HUGE shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas.' Sun told her, and she looked at him hopefully.

'How huge?'

'HUGE. Big Schnee Company freighter' Blake stared at the grinning blond.

'You're sure?' She asked, and he nodded.

* * *

Jaye smiled to himself, pulling his headphones off. That was all he needed to hear. He grabbed his gear, slinging it over his back, and slipped out of the dorm room.

* * *

'Thanks anyways!' Yang called as the door closed. This was the fifth shop they'd checked to no avail, Blake hadn't been seen anywhere.

'This is hopeless.' She groaned to Weiss. The white-haired girl didn't reply, simply looking away from her, and Yang narrowed her eyes.

'You really don't care if we find her, do you?' She accused, and Weiss turned around haughtily.

'Don't be stupid. Of course I do.' She said, starting down the street. 'I'm just afraid of what she'll say when we find her.'

* * *

That Night: At The Docks

* * *

'Did I miss anything?' Sun hopped back onto the crate, his arms full of fruit. Blake glanced at him from her spot, lying at the edge of the crate, monitoring the Dust crates from a distance.

'Not really she replied, returning her gaze to the containers. 'They've offloaded the crates from the boat, now they're just…sitting there.'

'Cool.' He replied, holding an apple out to her. 'I stole you some food!'

Blake glared at him. 'Do you always break the law without a second thought?'

'Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?' He shot back, and Blake glared daggers at him.

'Okay, too soon!' He apologized, looking awkwardly away from her. A gust of wind blew overhead from them, sending the fruit tumbling out of Sun's hands and onto the crate. Looking up, they noted a large airship hovering above them.

Jaye, some distance away, was lying on top of a crate, hidden from all their views. He quietly shifted down, slipping between the Schnee Dust crates. The airship dropped down onto an open section in the middle of the crates, the doors opening. Blake's eyes widened as a masked person wearing a white uniform stepped out the doors.

'Oh no.' She sighed, disappointed, her worst fears realized. Several more masked people exited the airship, each wearing the same uniform. Emblazoned across their backs was a red animal's head, with three claw marks passing behind it. The symbol of the White Fang.

'Is that them?' Sun asked, homing in on the symbol. Blake sighed dejectedly.

'Yes, it's them.' She said, dropping her head onto the crate. Sun glanced at the dejected girl.

'You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?' He asked, and Blake shook her head.

'No. I think deep down I knew.' She admitted, staring at the terrorists work. 'I just didn't want to be right.'

'Hey! What's the hold up?!' Blake looked up in curiosity as a voice rang out from the airship. A man with orange hair sitting under a bowler hat, surprisingly well-dressed in a white coat for the occasion, stepped out for the airship, waving the cane he was holding in the air.

'We're not the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace!' He yelled at the White Fang members, waving his hands sarcastically. Blake narrowed her eyes.

'This isn't right.' She said, getting to her feet. 'The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that.'

She got to her feet, unsheathing Gambol Shroud.

'Hey! What are you doing?!' Sun whispered furiously, and sat, mouth agape, as Blake leaped off the crate. She darted between the crates, pausing as she heard the man's voice again.

'No, you idiot, this isn't a leash!' Blake peeked around the corner, and sensing an opportunity, darted forward, pressing her blade against his neck.

'What the–? Oh for f–' The man started, rolling his eyes, but Blake cut him off.

'Nobody move!' She declared. Jaye, having climbed another crate close by, rolled his eyes in exasperation. He raised his transformed shield, Hesperides, to his eye, aiming down the scope. He settled the crosshairs on the orange-haired man, and realized what Blake had done. Jaye slapped a hand over his eyes in frustration.

' _You idiot! Why would you dive in for the big boss without taking out the henchman first!'_ He thought to himself. He quietly leveled the gun with the leader's head, but paused when Blake yanked off her bow, revealing her ears. Jaye made a sound of surprise.

' _Huh, always wondered what her ears looked like.'_ He thought, and paused as he saw her mouth move.

'Brothers of the White Fang, why are you aiding this scum?!' He faintly heard her, and quickly switched on his scroll's transmit function, sticking a receiver in his ear. The White Fang members paused, looking at each other in confusion. The man's voice came clearly over the receiver, Blake's scroll picking up his voice as well.

'Heh, oh kid. Didn't you get the memo?' He laughed, and Blake's grip tightened on his neck.

'What are you talking about?' She demanded, and the man sighed, grinning widely.

'The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together.' He told her, laughing, and Blake's anger rose.

'Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation.' She demanded, and flinched as a gust of wind blew past her face. She looked up to see two more airships arrive, hovering over them.

'I wouldn't exactly call it a LITTLE operation.' The man shouted over the turbines, grinning at their arrival. Blake's eyes followed the airships, and the man grinned. He pulled a trigger on his cane, firing into the ground, causing an explosion that blew Blake backwards. She hit the floor, sliding to a stop several feet away.

The man laughed, taking aim again. He fired off several more blasts, and Blake desperately threw herself out of the way. Rolling to her feet, she backflipped several times, evading his follow blasts, before darting round a container to escape. Growling in frustration, the man advanced. In the meantime, Jaye had busied himself sniping off the henchman he had with him.

'Here kitty kitty kitty.' He muttered, looking about warily, before feeling something drop onto his hat. Grumbling in irritation, he picked it off, realizing it was a banana peel. He looked up just in time to see a pair of soles slam into his face. Sun landed on him, rolling off, flipping to his feet.

'Leave her alone.' He declared, and paused as several more White Fang members leaped off the airships, surrounding him.

'You are not the brightest banana in the bunch are you kid?' The man mused, waving his can in the air again. Now Jaye recognized the cane, identifying the man as Roman Torchwick. Jaye had dealt with him in the past, when he was a part of more…shady businesses. Jaye leaped off the crate, running towards them.

Sun dispatched the White Fang members quickly, and spun his staff to block a shot from Torchwick's cane. Blake dropped down in front of him.

'He's mine!' She yelled, dashing towards Torchwick. He laughed, deflecting her blows, spinning around as she used her clones to dart back and forth. Her attacks failed, Blake grunted in pain as Torchwick knocked her to the ground. Sun leaped over her, kicking Torchwick back. He spun his staff, unlatching it into two gun-chucks, throwing a flurry of attacks, firing the guns at the same time. Torchwick responded with a flurry, deflecting the onslaught of attacks with his cane. Jaye had to admit, both parties were incredibly skilled. Blake rushed in, catching Torchwick by surprise, knocking him back with a strike from Gambol shroud.

Groaning in annoyance, Torchwick spotted a dust crate hanging from a crane above them. He fired at the pulley, destroying the lock and sending the crate down on top of the two faunus. The two dived out of the way, with Sun rolling to a stop in front of Torchwick's cane. Grinning, he went to pull the trigger, but was interrupted by a voice.

'Hey!' Torchwick whirled to face the sound. Ruby appeared over the edge of a nearby roof, slamming her scythe point first into the ground.

'Oh, hello Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?' He mocked, and Ruby glared at him. Penny approached her tentatively from behind.

'Ruby? Are these people your friends?' She asked, and Ruby glanced at her.

'Penny, get back!' She told the girl. Torchwick, taking advantage of her momentary distraction, fired a blast at her. Ruby, taken by surprise, had no chance to avoid it, and went flying back from the explosion. Torchwick laughed, and Jaye levelled his crosshairs on him. He fired, and Torchwick ducked, hearing the gunshot. Penny stepped to the front of the rooftop.

'Penny, wait! Stop!' Ruby called, reaching a hand out to the girl, trying weakly to get back on her feet. Penny looked back at her, smiling.

'Don't worry Ruby. I'm combat ready!' She declared. Her backpack opened, swords shooting out. They spun open behind her, hovering above her head. Crouching slightly, the girl leapt off the edge of the rooftop. Her swords shot down, taking out a few henchmen. She spun in a flurry of blades, taking out several more in the span of a few seconds.

Jaye watched quietly, somewhat surprised, but his mind was preoccupied. He darted past the girl, chasing after Torchwick. Blake appeared next to him, chasing the same guy. The two skidded to a halt as three airships approached them, making a gun run, forcing them to dive behind a few crates. Torchwick spotted them, grinning.

'Well hello Jaye bird! How've you been?' He yelled, waving his hands at them. Jaye fired at him, and Torchwick ducked.

'What a way to greet an old friend!' He mused, mildly annoyed, and flinched as half of an airship crashed nearby to him. Spotting Penny, he realized that she was somehow pulling the airship carrying the Dust to the ground. Jaye fired again, and he ducked into a nearby airship. Penny yanked the airship to the ground, sending the crate of Dust spiraling away, destroying the ship in the process.

'These kids just keep getting weirder!' Torchwick declared, pulling the door shut. Jaye fired against the door, his bullets glancing off the armor plating. He cursed as the airship rose in height, and he aimed at the cockpit. Spotting the pilot, he lined the reticle up with his head, and pulled the trigger. He heard the empty click and swore, reloading, but too late, the airship had taken off, taking Torchwick with it.

* * *

A Few Hours Later

* * *

The five teens sat on a couple of boxes as the police scoured the area. Jaye had tried to leave, but the police insisted he stay as a witness for questioning. Hearing footsteps approach, he looked up to see Weiss and Yang approach them. Ruby got up frantically, running to Weiss.

'Look Weiss it's not what you think she explained the whole thing you see she doesn't actually wear a bow she has kitty ears and they're actually kinda cute.' Ruby blurted rapidly. Weiss ignored her and walked straight up to Blake. Blake took a deep breath, looking the heiress straight in the eye.

'Weiss. I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with-' She began, but Weiss cut her off.

'Stop. Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?' She asked, and Blake looked around hesitantly.

'Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in that twelve hours I've decided...' Weiss said, waving a finger in Blake's face. Blake steeled herself for Weiss's reply.

'I don't care!' Blake looked at her in surprise.

'You don't care?' She repeated, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

'You said you're not one of them anymore, right?' She asked, and Blake panicked.

'No, I-I haven't been since I was younger–'She began, panickily, but Weiss cut her off again.

'Upupupupup! I don't wanna hear it.' She declared, waving a hand in Blake's face. 'All I want to know, is that the next time something this big comes up, you'll come to your teammates, and not some... someone else.'

Weiss glared at Sun, who was still sitting on the box. Blake smiled at the white-haired girl.

'Of course.' She replied, and Ruby smiled widely, pumping a fist in the air.

'Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!' The girl cheered.

The six huddled together, Ruby dragging the reluctant Jaye into the circle. Weiss whirled on Sun, sticking a finger in his face.

'I'm still not quite sure how I feel about you!' She told him, and he smiled nervously. Ruby glanced about in confusion?

'Hey, wait a minute. Where's Penny?' She asked, and Jaye jerked his thumb behind him.

'She got in a car just now and left.' He told her, and Ruby's face fell.

'Whaaaaaat. That's no fun.' She whined, and Jaye rolled his eyes. Blake glanced at him, narrowing her eyes.

'Anyways, Jaye, is there something you want to tell us?' Jaye looked at her, confused.

'Huh?' He cocked his head to the side, and Blake crossed her arms.

'Earlier, that Torchwick guy seemed to know you. He definitely called your name.' She said, and the group turned to him. Jaye glanced across them, placed on the spot.

'GRAB HIM!' Ruby yelled, pouncing on the boy, and Yang responded immediately, taking the opportunity to tackle him. Jaye groaned in annoyance.

'Ow guys what the hell are you doing!' He yelled, and Ruby gripped him tighter.

'We're making sure you can't run away.' She told him, wiggling her legs and grinning. Jaye rolled his eyes, grunting as the air was knocked out of him. Yang had plopped down on his stomach, pinning him to the floor. He glared at her, and she grinned back. Giving up, he dropped his head onto the floor, and Blake leaned over him.

'You going to answer the question or what?' She asked, glaring down at him, Jaye rolled his eyes, annoyed.

'He was a business partner.' He answered shortly, shoving Yang off him and getting to his feet, earning an annoyed "Hey!" from the blonde. 'We worked together for a job. A joint operation so to speak.'

Blake stared at him. 'What?'

Jaye rolled his eyes, throwing Ruby off his arm, and turned back onto the road.

'People need to survive you know. And when it comes down to it, we'll do anything to make it so.' He told them, walking away.

'Come on, let's get back to the dorms. I want to sleep.' He told the group, yawning. The girls glanced at each other, before falling into step behind him.

'Errr…bye guys! Bye Blake! I'll uh…see you next time?' Sun called awkwardly from behind them, sighing dejectedly as the group walked off, leaving him by himself. Blake turned back, catching his eye, and smiled at him. Sun grinned back, waving goodbye, walking giddily down the street.

* * *

Alright guys, that concludes volume one or RWBY. Next chapter onwards will be semester two, volume two. My favorite part's coming up, so stay tuned guys!


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14. Okay guys, school starts in a few days, and I have not finished my homework, so yeah, I'm not going to be posting anywhere near as often as before, so you guys are gonna have to wait unfortunately :(

* * *

In The Canteen

* * *

Blake sat, quietly staring at her notebook. Beside scrawled handwriting, there were several sketches, one was the symbol of the White Fang, yet it was different. It was whole, and without claws. As compared with the current and more well-known symbol, this gave off a sense of peace and tranquility rather than power or violence. Yet however, most notably was the image of a person, likely a man, whose back was facing the viewer. Beneath him, a rose was drawn, as if it were tied to him somehow, and Blake's eyes rested on it, lingering.

'Whatcha doing?' Yang cut in, bumping Blake on the shoulder. The faunus jumped slightly at the sudden intrusion, and quickly flipped her notebook shut.

'Nothing, just going over notes from last semester.' She told the blonde. Barely taking her eyes off the girl, Yang turned slightly, catching a flying grape in her mouth.

'Lame!' She declared, turning back to Blake, chewing on her morsel. Across the table sat team JNPR. Nora giggled, loading another grape onto her spoon and launched it into the blonde girl's mouth again, earning a thumbs-up from her. The table's occupants jumped as a comically large binder was dumped onto their table by a hooded girl.

'Sisters! Friends! Weiss.' Ruby addressed the table, earning an offended "hey!" from the heiress. 'Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream.'

'This oughta be good.' Yang commented, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'You know, four score and seven minutes ago means 80 years and 7 minutes ago. Ruby, you clearly haven't lived that long.' Jaye stated, propping himself up on his hands.

'Party pooper!' The hooded girl shot back. 'Anyways, I had a dream! A dream that one day, the five of us would come together, as a TEAM, and have the most fun anyone has ever had, EVER!'

'Did you steal my binder?' Weiss asked, staring at the item in question.

'I am not a crook.' Ruby declared, waving her hands, and Blake glanced at her.

"What are you talking about?' Ruby pointed a finger dramatically at her.

'I'm talking about kicking this semester off with a bang!' She declared, and Yang grinned.

'I always kick my semesters off with a YANG!' She joked, and Jaye dropped his head onto the table. 'Eeh? Guys? Am I right?'

She glanced expectantly at her teammates, and they pointedly ignored her. Boos resounded across the table, and Yang was hit in the head with an apple.

'Look guys, it's been a good two weeks, and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great! But classes start back up tomorrow. Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today.' She declared jubilantly. Weiss stared at their team leader.

'I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store.' She said, staring suspiciously at Ruby. Yang got up, throwing an apple back at the offender. Blake sighed, turning away.

'I don't know. I think I might sit this one out.' She said, turning to Weiss.

'Sit out or not, I think however we spend this last day we should do it as a team.' The heiress declared, getting up from her seat. Nora's voice resounded in the background jubilantly.

'I for one think that–' the heiress began, before a comically large pie landed right in her face. Nora, looking at them nervously, pointed at Ren, who currently had his face in his hands in exasperation.

* * *

Outside The Canteen

* * *

'Man, that's harsh!' A blue haired boy said, walking side by side with Sun. The faunus gestured emphatically, the excitement evident on his face.

'So then we were fighting side by side, and she was super-fast, and I threw a banana at a guy, which sounds gross, but it was awesome!' He babbled, barely pausing for breath. The blue haired guy grinned at him.

'Nice!' He encouraged, and Sun grinned back.

'Right? And the best part is, she's a Faunus! But that's a secret okay Neptune?!' Sun said excitedly, patting the blue-haired guy, Neptune, in the chest.

'Got it.' He replied, rolling his eyes. Sun thrust his face closer for emphasis.

'And not a I'm gonna go tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back secret! I'm talking secret secret!' He half-shouted, and the Neptune laughed.

'Woah chill out man okay I got it.' He said, and the two paused at the window. Sun stared at him quizzically.

'I got it.' He repeated for emphasis, and Sun slapped him in the chest again.

'You better.' He cautioned, and the two continued walking. 'I just don't wanna screw this up, ya know? The people here are the coolest! No offense to you guys.'

'None taken.' Neptune replied, not noticing as several morsels of food hit the windows, not even flinching as Jaune flew straight into the window pane, somehow not breaking it, and slowly sliding down. The two stopped at the door.

'Okay they're just in here. I'm really excited for you to meet them, so be cool okay? You're gonna be cool right?' He asked Neptune, and he rolled his eyes, grinning.

'Dude.' He replied, crossing his arms. Sun looked him down once.

'Good point.' He admitted, and they pushed the doors open. The instant the doors opened, they heard screams and yelling, and Sun's face lit up more and more as he took in the scene. Neptune on the other hand, looked mildly horrified. The two jumped to the side as a mass of people went charging out the doors. Neptune glanced at the crowd, his look of horror increasing in intensity, as Sun continued to take in the scene with undisguised glee.

Nora stood atop a mass of piled up tables, laughing dramatically. Team RRWBY stood on the other side of the hall, seemingly the opposing team.

'I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!' Nora sang triumphantly. Ruby stepped up onto a table, a carton of milk in hand.

'Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! It will be…DELICIOUS!' She screamed, crushing the carton of milk in hand. The other three girls shot up behind her, cheering in unison.

'Off with their heads!' Nora yelled, leaping down from her spot. As the food fight ensued, Jaye walked quietly towards the door, scrolling through his scroll.

'Hey Sun.' He greeted as he passed the delighted faunus.

'Hey man, how's it hanging!' He called back delightedly, not taking his eyes off the scene unfolding in front of him. Jaye walked out the doors, uncaring, as the fight continued to unfold behind him.

* * *

In The Dormitory, About 20 Minutes Later

* * *

Jaye looked up from his book as the door to his dormitory swung open, and the four girls appeared in the doorway. Covered in various kinds of sauce, condiments, and food bits, he raised an eyebrow at them. The girls stepped inside, swinging the door shut. Taking off what articles of clothing they could without outraging their modesty, they almost TOO obediently threw them into their laundry baskets.

'Thanks for helping Jaye.' Yang said, yanking off her shirt, tossing it on the pile of soaked laundry.

'You're welcome.' He replied, not looking up from his book. 'Did you win?'

'Sort of.' Ruby cut in, picking a food scrap out of her hair.

* * *

10 Minutes Later: After Showers

* * *

Yang plopped down on Jaye's bed, and he glanced up at her. She stared at him, a brush in her outstretched hand. He studied it for a moment, glancing back and forth between Yang and the brush.

'What, are you asking me to brush your hair?' He questioned, and Yang made a sound of impatience, wiggling the brush at him. Sighing, he put his book down, taking the brush from her, and resigned himself to dealing with the huge mop of hair he was presented with.

He was surprised at how easily the brush passed through her hair, despite how messy and unruly it looked, and it was much softer and finer than he had expected.

' _I guess she IS a girl after all.'_ He thought to himself, running his fingers through her hair. Yang shifted backwards, getting just a little bit closer to him. Yet despite that, there was a little gap between their bodies, a distance that was maintained by Jaye's brushing of her hair. What was keeping them apart was so simple and so easy to overcome, yet the two seemed content to use it as an excuse not to deal with what was in front of them.

'You've been spending more time with the other girls recently you know.' Yang murmured, practically a whisper, so much that Jaye barely caught it. He stared at her silky blond hair, running his fingers through it.

'Hmm? What?' He said, peeking around her head at her. Yang turned away from him with a huff.

'Nothing, I didn't say anything.' She said, pouting. Jaye returned his gaze to her hair, quietly brushing it, letting her golden locks slip through his fingers. The silence continued for nearly a minute, with Jaye just quietly brushing her hair.

'Is that your way of telling me to spend time with you?' He asked, and Yang glared at him over her shoulder.

'So you DID hear me.' She grumbled, and Jaye chuckled, picking at a particularly tangled lock. He continued picking at it, until he finally got it free, running the brush through the previously inaccessible area.

'Is that a yes?' He asked, and Yang glanced back at him, opening her mouth to reply.

'Well you two are awfully close, aren't you?' A snobbish voice rang out from the doorway, and the two started slightly, looking in the direction of the sound. Weiss stood in the doorway, arms crossed and hair down, with Ruby and Blake peeking over her shoulders. Yang's cheeks reddened slightly, not out of embarrassment, but anger at being interrupted.

'Jealous, are we?' Jaye asked the white-haired girl, grinning at her, thankfully distracting Weiss from further prodding. The heiress reddened at the implication, glaring at him haughtily.

'And why, may I ask, would I be jealous?' She shot back, stalking to her bed and sitting down. Jaye smiled mischievously at her.

'Awww, Weiss, if you wanted someone to brush your hair for you, you _could_ just ask. I'd be happy to oblige.' He jested, placing a hand over his heart and bowing slightly, staring up at her, a grin passing over his face. Weiss reddened even further.

'As if I'd want a miscreant like _you_ touching my hair in the first place.' She said, and Jaye laughed aloud. Ruby bounced towards the heiress.

'Ooooh, Weiss! I'll do it!' She squealed excitedly, grabbing a brush. 'Anything for my BFF!'

Without waiting for permission, or even a response, Ruby excitedly dived into Weiss's bed and began brushing her hair, despite her protests. Noticing her only half-hearted protests, Jaye smiled to himself as he realized that she really DID just want someone to brush her hair.

'How about tomorrow, after classes?' He whispered, and Yang's face lit up. She quickly hid her grin, turning away from Weiss and Ruby as they sat in bed. Blake, thankfully, was already too absorbed in a book to notice. She nodded, and Jaye smiled.

'Alright then.' He breathed, and continued brushing her hair. Yang was grateful, for once, that her back was facing him, so he couldn't see the furious blush rising on her cheeks. She smiled to herself, and all of a sudden, she couldn't wait for tomorrow.

* * *

Okay! There we go. The past few chapters seriously have not had a lot of opportunities for Jaye x Yang moments, so I'm going to slot this in here. Because I want to.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

* * *

'Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!' Ruby declared, pointing a determined finger in Yang's face. Smirking in return, she slapped her cards down on the table.

'Bring it on!' She challenged, and Ruby picked a card out of her hand.

'I deploy the Atlesian Air Fleet! Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!' She declared, and Yang placed a hand over her heart in mock terror. 'And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts one turn.'

Yang grinned at her sister, chuckling maliciously. 'Pretty sneaky sis, but you've just activated my trap card! Giant Nevermore!'

'Didn't you fight one of those before?' Jaye interjected, flipping the page of the book he was reading. The five members of team RRWBY were sitting in the library, and the four girls were currently in the middle of playing a board game.

Yang ignored the boy, slamming her hands down on the table. 'If I roll a seven or higher, Fatal Feathers will slice your fleet in two.'

'BUT, if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces.' Ruby shot back, and Yang grinned at her.

'That's just a chance I'm willing to take. HAH!'

'NOOOOOOO MY FEARLESS SOLDIERS'

'Eh, most of them were probably androids.'

'Goodbye my friends... You will be avenged.'

The two sisters argued back and forth, and Jaye glanced over at the other table where team JNPR was sitting. Ren was studying, unsurprisingly, while Nora and Jaune were sleeping and reading comic books respectively. As he watched, Pyrrha pulled the comic book out of Jaune's hands, handing him a reference book instead, earning a disappointed groan from her team leader, before flipping open the comic herself. Smiling to himself, Jaye returned his gaze to his team members.

'HAVE YOU NO HEART?! Nooooooooooooo…' Ruby dropped her head onto the table, tears streaming down her face, somehow defying gravity and flowing horizontally down her face rather than down onto the table. Jaye stared at it, glancing about at the uninterested faces around him, and wondered if that was normal and he was the weird one.

'I have…absolutely no idea what's going on.' Weiss admitted, staring at the cards in her hand. Yang shot over to her to help, and Jaye patted the grieving Ruby on the head.

'Now you can take Ruby's discarded air fleet and put it in your hand!' Yang told the heiress, who was looking more and more confused by the minute. Jaye returned to his book, and looked up when the table shook.

'YES! FEAR THE ALMIGHTY POWER OF MY FORCES!' Weiss declared, rising abruptly from her seat. 'COWER AS THEY PILLAGE YOUR HOMES AND WEEP AS THEY TAKE YOUR CHILDREN FROM YOUR VERY ARMS-!'

'Trap card.' Yang shoved a card into Weiss's face, earning a sound of confusion from the heiress. Yang rearranged the statuettes on the table, surrounding Weiss's army with Ursai.

'Your armies have been destroyed.' She declared, grinning at Weiss, who dropped down in her chair, tears streaming down her face.

'I hate this game of emotions we play!' She whined, and Ruby shot onto her lap.

'Stay strong Weiss, we'll make it through this together!' She cried, wrapping her arms around the heiress's neck.

'Shut up! Don't touch me!' Weiss cried, hugging her back. Yang grinned at them, throwing her arms behind her head and kicking back in her chair.

'Alright Blake, you're up!' Yang called, and Jaye glanced at the utterly confused faunus.

'Huh? Oh! Umm...sorry, what am I doing?' She mumbled, staring at her cards.

'You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the kingdoms of Remnant.' Yang explained, and Blake only looked even more confused. The girls looked up as a blond approached them.

'Hey! Can I play?' Jaune waved, approaching the table, clearly having given up on reading the reference book.

'Sorry, Jaune, we've already got four people.' Ruby told him, and Weiss glanced at him smugly.

'Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess.' She informed the blond flippantly.

'Uh, you attacked your own Naval Fleet two turns ago.' Yang interjected, and Jaune rolled his eyes.

'Bring it on Ice Queen! I'll have you know that I've been told I'm a natural born leader.' He informed her smugly, and Weiss stared at him skeptically.

'By who? Your mother?' She shot back, and Jaune raised his hands defensively.

'A-And Pyrrha!' He defended, and the redhead in question waved from the other table.

'Hello again!' She called cheerily, and Jaune leaned over the girl.

'Come on, lemme play your hand for a turn!' He begged, and Weiss flinched away from the boy.

'I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo.' She argued, and Jaye rolled his eyes, returning again to his book, before being interrupted again by yet another blond.

'Sup losers!' He turned to see Sun slot himself between him and Blake, whom Jaye was sitting beside.

'Hey Sun!' Ruby called, and then they noticed the blue haired boy with him.

'Ruby, Yang, Blake. Ice Queen…Ice King.' He addressed, and Weiss stared at him, offended.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?!' She asked, and Sun ignored her.

'I never got the chance to formally introduce you to my old friend.' He said, gesturing towards the blue haired guy, Neptune.

'Uh, aren't libraries for reading?' he questioned, and Ren's hands shot up from the table close by.

'Thank you!' He called, and Nora snorted awake.

'Pancakes!' She exclaimed, dropping her head back down. Sun turned to the blue-haired boy.

'Shut up, don't be a nerd.' He said, and Neptune waved a finger in his face.

'Gegegege, intellectual, okay? Thank you.' He interjected. 'I'm Neptune.'

'So Neptune, where are you from?' Weiss asked, clearly interested in the boy. He walked over to her slowly, smiling at her as he did.

'Haven…And I don't believe I caught your name, snow angel.' He grinned at her, and Weiss blushed.

'Uh…I'm Weiss.' She introduced herself, and Jaune made a sound of annoyance behind them.

'Pleasure to meet you.' Neptune replied, and the two smiled at each other. Sun leaned down next to Blake, pushing Jaye slightly to the side. He glared at the faunus boy, annoyed.

'I never took you for the board-game playing type.' He tried to make conversation, and Blake put down her cards, rising from her seat.

'Right…I think I'm done playing actually. I'll see you guys later.' She said, pushing past Sun and leaving. He stared after her, glancing at the group.

'Women.' Nora declared, raising her hands in mock confusion, having somehow woken up just for that.

* * *

In The Dorms After Classes

* * *

Blake sat by herself, clutching her knees to her chest, gazing out the window, deep in thought. She jumped slightly as the door opened, and her teammates walked in.

'Ugh! We should've never let him play!' Yang said, angrily, and Ruby giggled at her.

'You're just mad 'cause the new guy beat you!' Ruby teased. 'See if you had just attacked when I told you none of this would have happened.'

Jaye flopped down on his bed, face still buried in a book, and Blake immediately got up and headed for the door. Weiss's eyes followed her as she reached for the door handle.

'Stop.' She ordered, and Blake's hand froze. 'Lately you've been quiet, anti-social and moody.'

'Uh, have you met Blake?' Yang cut in, and Weiss ignored her.

'Which I get, is kind of your "thing", but you've been doing it more than usual, which quite frankly, is unacceptable.' She said, walking towards the catgirl. 'You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong.'

Weiss hopped onto a chair, dramatically shoving a finger into Blake's face. 'So! Blake Belladonna! What! Is! Wrong!?'

Blake stared at the finger for a moment, and Weiss got off the chair, returning it to the desk. She tiptoed back over to Blake, staring at her expectantly. Blake glanced about at the girls, and sighed, taking a deep breath,

'I just...I don't understand how everyone can be so calm.' She admitted, and Ruby stepped towards her.

'You still thinking about Torchwick?' She asked, and Blake's calm demeanor broke.

'Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!' She exclaimed, waving her hands in frustration. Yang got up from her spot on Jaye's bed.

'Ozpin told us not to worry. Between the police and the Huntsman, I'm sure they can handle it.' She reassured the girl, but Blake shook her head.

'Well I'm not! They don't know the White Fang like I do.' She cried, and Weiss put her hands up.

'Okay, between blowing up night clubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the three of you think you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells...' She said, putting her hands together. 'But let me once again be the voice of reason...'

'We're students.' She reasoned. 'We're not ready to handle this sort of situation! We're not ready!'

'And we may never be ready! Our enemies aren't just gonna sit around and wait for graduation day!' She half-shouted, voice rising in panic.

'They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not.' She said, staring at the three girls, a nearly desperate look on her face. Jaye cleared his throat loudly, and the four girls looked at him.

'I know what it is.' He said, barely glancing up from his book. The girls stared at him in shock, and he shook his head. 'Trust me, you don't want to get involved. It's too dangerous.'

Ruby's face lit up in excitement.

'Okay! All in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses to single-handedly bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale...say "aye"!' She declared, and the four girls grinned.

'YES! I love it when you're feisty.' Yang exclaimed, pumping her fist, gesturing at Blake. Weiss crossed her arms.

'Well, I guess it could be fun.' She admitted, cocking her head to the side in mock consideration.

'None of you said aye…' Ruby whispered sadly, and Blake smiled.

'Alright then...we're in this together.' She said, and Ruby wiggled in excitement.

'Let's hatch a plan!' She declared, and Jaye shook his head.

'NO! Guys, which part of don't get involved did you not understand?!' He dropped his face into his hands, and Yang threw an arm over his shoulder.

'Chill out man! We can handle this, no problem!' She declared. In a softer voice, she whispered. 'Sorry, guess we're gonna need a rain-check on that date huh?'

She grinned apologetically at him, and Jaye sighed.

'You're serious about this?' He asked, and she nodded. He shook his head in disbelief. 'You girls are crazy.'

'So…does this mean you'll help us?' Ruby asked, and the girls stared at him in anticipation. Jaye looked at their eager faces, and glanced at Yang, who grinned widely at him. He felt a little flutter in his chest, and turned away from her.

'Fine.' He sighed, and the girls cheered.

'Oh, wait, I left my board game in the library!' Ruby exclaimed, charging out of the room. Weiss facepalmed.

'We're doomed.' She declared, watching the girl run.

'I'll be right back!' Ruby called from outside, and flinched as she ran face-first into something. Bouncing off the obstacle, she hit the floor with a grunt. She looked up at what she'd ran into, to only to find an emerald-haired girl with chocolate-brown skin staring down at her. Beside her stood a silvery-grey haired boy, who was looking down at her with mild surprise.

'Oh, uh, sorry. Are you okay?' She asked, and the girl offered her a hand.

'I'm fine, just watch where you're going.' The girl said, and Ruby took her hand.

'Oh right…sorry.' Ruby apologized, and the girl pulled her to her feet. 'Uh, I'm Ruby! Are you…new?'

'Visiting from Haven actually.' A voice cut into their conversation, and the emerald-haired girl stepped aside to reveal a black-haired girl with unusual pale-white skin. She somehow seemed older than the rest, and her eyes were a brilliant amber. Ruby looked at her for a moment, entranced by them, before shaking herself out of her slight daze.

'Oooooh! You're here for the festival!' She squealed. 'Oh! But exchange students have their own dormitory.'

'I guess we just got turned around.' The silver-haired boy spoke, his voice low and husky. Ruby smiled at him, bouncing a little on the spot.

'Don't worry! Happens all the time!' She said, as the they walked past her, but the dark-haired girl lingered for a moment. 'Your building is juuust east of here!'

'Thanks.' The dark-haired girl said, her amber eyes piercing into Ruby's. 'Maybe we'll see you around.'

'Yeah! Maybe!' Ruby called jubilantly after them as they left. 'Oh and uh, welcome to Beacon!'

Jaye stood in the doorway, watching them walk past. The grey-haired boy glanced at him, catching his eye. Jaye narrowed his eyes at him, and the boy grinned. He had a bad feeling about those three, but he couldn't figure out why.

'Jaye! C'mere for a sec!' Yang's voice called form inside, and Jaye turned to her.

'Yeah.' He called back, glancing back out the door, but the three had already vanished down the dark hallway, out of his sight.

* * *

Alright, and that wraps up chapter 15 guys. Lemme know if you have any suggestions for this story, and do review and follow!


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 guys, we're getting close to "painting the town!" Which I'm super excited about so GET READY GUYS.

* * *

'So Weiss, you know uh, I was thinking that after this, maybe we could go grab a bite to eat?' Weiss glanced at the blond boy grinning expectantly at her. Jaye smirked to himself at the heiress's blatant ignorance of the try-hard. The students were currently sitting through another of Professor Peter Port's boring lectures, as he blabbed on and on of his achievements as a young man.

'And uh, you know well I-I've got two tickets to that new Spruce Willis movie if you want to make the trip to Vale. I hear it's awesome.' Jaune tried again, pitching ideas at the cold girl. 'And... then maybe after that we could, study together? I mean, you're smart and I'm a, you know...'

The bell sounded, cutting Jaune off and interrupting Professor Port's speech.

'And then I- oh, uh, timed that one wrong I guess. Well the stunning conclusion to the story will have to wait. Until next time.' He finished awkwardly, dismissing the students. Weiss got up from her seat, nudging Jaye, who was seated next to her, to follow.

'Weiss? Did you hear me?' Jaune asked tentatively, glancing at the white-haired girl as she turned to leave. Weiss flipped her hair nonchalantly.

'No, no, no, yes.' She told the boy, stalking off purposefully. Jaye rustled the blond boy's hair, and Jaune dropped his head onto the table with a groan.

'One day.' Yang consoled the poor boy, patting him on the shoulder as she and the rest of team RRWBY passed by.

* * *

Back In The Dorms

* * *

'I thought that class would never end.' Blake complained, picking at her wrist wrappings. All the girls had elected for some reason to change their clothing for this mission, and had coerced Jaye into following suit. While the girls had undergone nearly a whole wardrobe change, Jaye had simply elected to change out his armor for a lightweight, black leather jacket. He got up from his bed, slinging his weapons across his back.

'Alright guys, today's the day. The investigation, begins!' Ruby declared, hopping excitedly down from her bed, nearly landing on Weiss in the process. The heiress pulled her legs up onto the bed to avoid getting stepped on.

'I'm glad to see that we are taking this so seriously.' She said sarcastically, glaring at the red-hooded girl as she bounced on the spot, a huge grin plastered across her face.

'Hey! We've got a plan. That's... moderately serious.' Yang reasoned, grinning awkwardly.

'Right, everyone remember their roles?' Ruby asked, grinning at the group.

'You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies, or inconsistencies.' Weiss, declared, waving her hand carelessly at the girl. 'Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem.'

'The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning.' Blake said, placing her hands behind her back. Yang crossed her arms with a grin.

'I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard.' She said, glancing at Jaye, who was poking through his scroll.

'I've got a uh…a contact, that you probably wouldn't want to hang around, who's agreed to meet me at the same place Yang's going.' He said, shrugging. 'I'm largely just going there for confirmation. I've already got a pretty good idea of what's going on, I just don't know the fine details like when and where.'

'Great, we'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we've found. Let's do this!' Ruby finished, pumping her fist, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'Yeah!' A voice rang out from behind them, and the five jumped slightly upon seeing a blond monkey boy hanging upside down in front of the window.

'Sun?!' Blake exclaimed, and the five jumped back from the window. Yang looked at him, confused.

'How did you get up there?!' She asked, and the faunus laughed.

'Ah it's easy I do it all the time.' He admitted, and Weiss flared up.

'You do what?!' She yelled, and Sun smiled at her.

'I climb trees all the time!' He said, and she narrowed her eyes at him. He dropped down from what was probably a tree branch and into the room. 'So... are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?'

'We, are going to investigate the situation. As a team.' Blake told him, stressing the last three words, gesturing at the four members standing behind her.

'Sorry Sun, we don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to.' Ruby told him, and he rolled his eyes.

'Pfft, that's dumb. You should always get friends involved.' He said, waving his hand dismissively, and jerking behind him with his thumb. 'That's why I brought Neptune.'

The girls rushed over to the window, sticking their heads out, to see the blue-haired boy pressed up against the ledge beside the window.

'Sup.' He greeted, turning his head towards them.

'How did you even get up here?' Ruby asked, and Neptune smiled. He was clearly hanging out with Sun too much.

'I have my ways.' He said mysteriously, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'Seriously though, can I come in. We're like, really high up right now.' Neptune admitted, hugging closer back to the wall.

* * *

'All right. I'll go with Weiss. Sun, you can go with Blake.' Ruby decided, gesturing at the faunus. Sun grinned widely, glancing excitedly at the cat girl. Blake ignored him.

'And Neptune, you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner.' Ruby pushed the blue-haired boy toward Yang, who was still slightly frozen up. Weiss made a face of disappointment, which was not missed by Jaye.

'Actually Ruby, why don't you go with Yang, ha. After all she is your sister.' Weiss tried to argue, laughing nervously. Jaye rolled his eyes.

'Obvious much?' He whispered, and Weiss shot him a glare.

'But Weiss, who would go with you then?' Ruby asked innocently, missing the implication, and Jaye snorted with laughter.

'Well, I guess Neptune could come with me.' She suggested, and Jaye slapped his hand into his face, trying and failing to suppress his laughter. Ruby paused for a moment, before laughing.

'Nah.' She declared, grabbing the heiress by her jacket and dragging her out of the door.

'But! But!' Weiss resisted, stretching her hands out toward the blue-haired boy. Neptune watched them leave, a look of amusement spreading across his face.

* * *

'Seventeen.' Neptune said, flipping his cards over, staring at Jaye expectantly.

'Hah! Nineteen!' Sun announced, and Blake groaned, tossing her cards down.

'Twenty-four.' She pouted, crossing her arms. Yang glanced around at the players.

'Twenty!' She announced triumphantly, tossing her cards onto the table with a big grin. She turned to face Jaye, as if she'd already won.

He and the other members still had some time to kill before Junior's club opened and the White Fang rally began, so they decided to wait in the dorms. Hanging around the venues before they opened would look far too suspicious, so they were currently playing cards in the dormitory. The five were currently playing Blackjack, and they had made the awful mistake of making Jaye the dealer. Jaye smiled back at the blonde, flipping his cards over.

'Twenty-one.' He declared, and the four players groaned in defeat. Sun scratched his head as Jaye gathered the cards back up, and the other players tossed several more Lien into Jaye's pile.

'How are you winning almost every round?!' Yang swore, crossing her arms. Jaye grinned at her, spinning a card between his fingers.

'Luck of the draw babe. Guess you're not as blessed as I am.' Jaye said, smiling, and Yang glared at him. Little did the other members know that Jaye had learned magic as a hobby, and had gotten exceptionally good at card tricks. Thanks to that, cheating in a game of Blackjack was far too easy for him, though he kind of felt bad about it.

Jaye riffled through the deck quickly, finding a king and quickly cut it to the bottom of the deck. He shuffled the cards, taking care not to disturb the bottom card, until he spotted another picture card between his fingers, and shuffled down to it, dropping it at the top of the deck. He quickly dealt the card to himself, dealing out to the other players, before picking a pack of cards with the king off the bottom of the deck. He shuffled down to the king, dropping it on top.

'Cut.' He said, holding the deck out. Sun reached across, pulling the top half of the deck off. Jaye took the halves in his hands, and under the cover of his palms, swapped the two packets so the deck had returned to its original position, leaving the king on top. He dealt the king to himself, smiling quietly as he dealt out to the other players.

'Seventeen.'

'Twenty-six'

'Fifteen'

'Eighteen'

Jaye smirked again, flipping his cards over.

'Twenty.' He declared, and the members groaned. Sun glared at him, waving his tail.

'Okay, it's official. You're cheating.' He accused, and Jaye held up his hands in mock surrender.

'Hey, have you SEEN me cheat so far?' He asked, and Sun paused nervously.

'Uh…no' He admitted, and Jaye shrugged.

'Then I haven't.' He declared, and Sun glared at him harder. Yang laughed, tossing her cards at Jaye.

'Well, either you're cheating, or you've got the best luck in the world.' She declared, and Jaye chuckled.

'I'm just better at this game than all of you.' He said, putting he cards away. 'It's time guys.'

The five got up, stretching, and gathered their equipment. Jaye swiped his _rightfully_ earned Lien into his wallet, and they quietly slipped out of the dormitories.

* * *

On The Road

* * *

Jaye swerved to avoid a car, narrowly missing it as the jackass of a driver cut into his lane. Jaye sped up, cutting in front of the car, forcing him to slam on the brakes. Jaye laughed aloud, kicking his bike up a gear, speeding off as the driver swore at him. Yang smirked at the laughing boy.

'Wow, road hazard are we?' Yang teased over the radio, and Jaye laughed again, falling into pace beside her. Neptune was riding behind Yang, and the three were speeding down the highway at an illegal pace to get to Junior's bar. Jaye's bike was a stark contrast to Yang's. While hers was painted in bright orange and yellow, Jaye's was a black racing bike with blue accents.

(Kawasaki Ninja H2R. Google it if you want to. Unfortunately, it doesn't come in blue and black :/ )

The two pulled up into a small side alley beside the bar. Jaye quietly glanced in his rearview mirrors. They didn't seem to have been followed, so he dismounted. He swiped across the pad on his bike, just above the fuel cap, locking it.

'C'mon, my friend's right in here.' Yang told Neptune. The boy was clearly stunned by the ride, his goggles askew, hair a mess, with a stupefied look on his face.

'Cool' He answered, his face still droopy. He shook his head, clearing it up, and somehow managed to shake his goggles and hair back into place as well.

'And where exactly is…here?' He asked, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'Weren't you listening?' He said disbelievingly, and Neptune shrugged.

'Kind of?' He admitted, and Jaye groaned in annoyance.

* * *

'Hurry, close the door she's coming!' Two henchmen slammed the heavy doors shut as the three approached. Jaye looked over at the blonde.

'What the heck did you do to them?' He asked, and Yang grinned at him. She cocked Ember Celica, and fired at the door. It blew open with a crash, and she stepped inside.

'Guess who's back!' She announced, smiling, arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture. The henchmen immediately surrounded her, guns levelled with her head. Jaye facepalmed again, shaking his head in exasperation. The DJ tentatively shut the music off, ducking behind the counter.

'Yeah…so could you define friend for me?' Neptune said, popping out from behind her. He smiled nervously as the guns turned on him, shrinking behind the blonde.

'Stop, stop! Nobody shoot.' A bearded man stepped out from between the henchmen, adjusting his tie.

'Blondie! You're here…why?' He asked tentatively, and Yang grinned at him.

'You still owe me a drink.' She declared, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him to the counter. Jaye sighed in relief, walking in after them. Neptune stared stupidly after her.

'Whoa, what a woman.' He moaned, still staring. Jaye glared at him, narrowing his eyes, hand creeping up to his sword. Neptune then noticed the twins standing next to him.

Sup.' He greeted, and the two promptly turned and walked away.

'Whatever.' They huffed in unison. They were practically identical. Jaye shook his head, making his way to the bar where Junior and Yang were talking.

'Gimme a shot.' He told Junior. The big man looked up, his face lighting up.

'Jaye! Wha–where've you been man? It's been what, six months?' He stuttered, grasping Jaye's hand. Jaye grinned at him, and Junior poured him a shot, placing the glass down in front of the boy.

'Wha–Hey! He gets a shot but not me? Not cool man.' Yang turned on the big man, waggling a finger in his face. Junior laughed, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

'Hey, he's legal, you're not.' He justified, and Yang turned on Jaye confusedly.

'Wait what? But we're in the same year!' She asked, and Jaye smiled, downing the shot.

'I'm only a first year because I didn't enter Beacon at seventeen. I'll be nineteen this year.' He stated, as Junior refilled the shot glass, and Yang just sort of stared at him.

'Huh. I had a feeling you were older. I just thought you were one of those guys who seemed older than they actually were.' She admitted, and the two men laughed. Junior's face turned serious.

'If you're here, does that mean there's a job?' He asked, and Jaye shook his head, swirling his glass.

'I'm just here for information, I'm not getting back in.' He stated, and Junior's face fell.

'Aww, and here I was thinking we could get to wrecking stuff again. You're done with the Faction?' Junior asked, his eyes fixed on the boy. Jaye gave him a hard stare.

'Alright then.' Junior sighed, wiping a glass, replacing it on the small dish rack in front of him.

'What do you want to know?' He asked, and Jaye shook his head.

'Sorry man, not from you. I called in a favor.' He said, turning from the bar. Junior glanced over Jaye's shoulder, spotting a purple-cloaked figure in the corner, face covered by a hood, sitting at a small table buried in the shadows. Junior's eyes widened in realization, and he wordlessly poured another shot. Jaye picked up the shot, smirking over his shoulder, making his way over to the cloaked figure. Yang glanced between them.

'Who's that?' She asked, and Junior shook his head, placing his hands on the bar counter.

'I don't have the right to say.' He stated warily, glancing back over at them. He addressed the blonde quietly, looking at her.

'What do you want to know?'

* * *

That's the end of this chapter. Who is the mysterious cloaked figure? Find out, on the next episode of Beacon's Blue Knight. JK but yeah, it's gonna be in the next chapter. Have fun with the CLIFFIES TILL THEN.


	18. Chapter 17

Sup guys, chapter 17.

* * *

'This seat taken?' Jaye asked, grinning. The purple cloaked figure flashed him a look of annoyance, and Jaye shrugged, placing the shot down in front of the mysterious figure. He took it quietly, and they toasted, downing the bitter concoctions.

'The White Fang right?' The figure finally spoke, his voice deep and gravely. Jaye nodded, and he shifted, crossing his arms uncaringly.

'Thought they would've hired you, for a job this big.' He commented, and Jaye shrugged again.

'I've been out of contact for a while. What job?' He asked, and the man pulled his hood down.

'Honestly, I don't know.' He said, and Jaye stared at him.

'Indigo, number one, turn that goddamn voice modulator off, it's incredibly annoying.' Jaye narrowed his eyes at the cloaked figure. 'Secondly, take off the hood for god's sake, I find it hard to talk to you when I can't see what I'm talking to.'

The figure studied him for a moment, before the sound of a button being pressed was heard. The figure threw its hood back, revealing long, auburn hair, and a very feminine, and very _beautiful_ face. Her wide, plum-colored eyes glared daggers at Jaye, and he smiled at her.

'See? Much better. You're far easier on the eyes than that damned hood.' He joked, and she kicked him under the table. Jaye's grin disappeared, and he fiddled with his shot glass.

'You've gotta give me something. You're not the best information broker for nothing.' He locked eyes with her, and she stared back at him, unflinching.

'It's not a game you know.' She breathed, and Jaye turned away.

'It never is.' He replied, and Indigo's cheeks reddened.

'So why?' She asked quietly, and Jaye stared at his glass.

'Why what?' He asked, and her eyes flared with anger.

'Why are you getting involved?! You left the Faction less than a year ago! I stuck my neck out for you! I risked everything to vouch for you, to give you an out! Now you're getting mixed up in this again!' She hissed, rising to her feet. Jaye sat quietly, watching her. Yang, noticing the raised voice, approached their table.

'I can't believe you! Ten months, you went dark. You promised me you'd keep in touch even after you left, but for TEN MONTHS you leave me in the dark. Then I finally get a call from you, but NO. It's not to explain where you've been, or even to say hi. It's for information. For goddamn information.' Indigo slammed her hand down on the table. 'Is that all I mean to you?! Is that the extent of your care for me?!'

'Indigo, that's not what happened! Please, calm down and let me explain.' Jaye rose to his feet, and Indigo opened her mouth to retaliate, before noticing the blonde over Jaye's shoulder. Yang paused at the table, glancing back and forth between the two.

'Hey, how's it hanging?' She greeted, awkwardly attempting to get between the two glaring individuals. Indigo ignored her, stepping around the table. She paused next to Jaye.

'All I know is the White Fang got ahold of a train recently, and Torchwick was heavily involved in all of it. It's a transport train, capable of carrying hundreds of soldiers, massive storage areas for vehicles, or weaponized armor.' She said, handing Jaye an envelope. 'Specs and images inside, along with potential cargo. I don't know where they took it, but the subway systems aren't that extensive. I'm sure you can narrow down where they'd go easily enough.'

'Thank you, Indigo.' He breathed, slipping the envelope into his jacket. She nodded slightly, and started forward again. She stepped into the light, and now Yang could see her face clearly. She had beautiful pearly white skin, and her hair was practically glowing in the light. She wore no makeup, but she didn't need to anyway. Her jaw was thin and sharp, emphasizing her large, and entrancing eyes. The rest of her features, like Jaye, identified her as from the eastern kingdom (Asian basically). Her small nose and lips accented the curve of her jaw, and gave her a somewhat regal air about her.

She wore a simple brown leather sleeveless top, and purple bicep-high gloves. She wore a pair of dark purple pants and black knee-high boots. Her cloak and hood were fastened around her neck by a round metal buckle with a purple flower, a violet, emblazoned on it. The symbol was tattooed on her left breast. Fastened to her waist were two swords; a katana and a wakizashi with purple handle wrappings, slipped into mechanized sheaths fastened to her belt. The sheaths had dust crystals in a rotating chamber near the mouths to change out the dust crystal in use whenever needed, and from what could be seen there was a multitude of dust in there, at least one for every element.

Yang was totally stunned at the sight of her. Looking at Indigo, she suddenly felt a whole lot more self-conscious, and shrunk in a little on herself. Indigo seemed more mature, and Yang got the feeling that she was older than Jaye, at least by a little. She had an almost perfect body, one that screamed of strength and power, yet retained all its appeal and beauty effortlessly, and Yang was instantly envious of the woman. If she had to compare her to an animal, Indigo struck Yang as a Tigress, and curiously enough she'd always felt Jaye was a Tiger, especially when he fought. Yang prided herself on her fiery nature, and had always done her best to create an image of powerful beauty that she believed she had. But this was a woman who was so like her, yet seemed to outclass her in every way. Indigo carried on, unflinching, towards the door, her steps laden with suppressed anger and indignation.

'Indigo.' Jaye called, turning to face her, and she paused mid-stride, not turning around.

'I went dark because they sent people after me. You knew the Faction wouldn't just let me leave. They placed a bounty on my head; if they managed to kill me, and prove they were better, they could have my spot. My rank, my prestige. You know as well as I do how big of a deal that is.' He said in a low voice. Indigo didn't move, she stood there quietly, listening to him speak.

'I couldn't get you caught in the middle of that. Any communications I sent out could have been picked up and traced. Calling you would've been like sending a gift to those assassins. They would've used you against me, and I couldn't let that happen.' Indigo turned to face him, and Jaye saw tears well up in her eyes. She brushed them away angrily, striding up to him.

'I finally got the Faction off my back by fighting an arranged match with their top assassin. They were pleased with how he fought and swore a blood oath to leave me be. That was only a few weeks ago, and I had to make sure they'd hold up their end of the bargain!' He blurted as she closed on him, raising his arms in a gesture of surrender. 'That's the only reason I waited so long to call you, and I just happened to need the information too. It wasn't that I didn't WANT to call you I swea–'

Indigo cut him off, pressing her lips to his, gripping him by the lapels of his jacket. Jaye's eyes widened in surprise, and he froze, arms still raised in surrender. She pulled away quietly, releasing his jacket, placing her hands on his chest. Jaye let his arms fall to his side.

'Tell me that sooner, idiot.' She breathed, kissing him again. Yang stared at them, stunned beyond words. Across them, at the bar, Junior and Neptune's jaws hit the floor. Jaye stood still, not quite responding to her, and Indigo broke it off abruptly. She turned on her heel, slipping quickly out the doors, her cloak trailing behind her.

Jaye watched her disappear between the doors, a somewhat wistful and conflicted look on his face. He became aware of Yang looking at him, dumbfounded, noting her slightly hurt expression, and he looked away, scratching the back of his head.

'I'll be outside. Meet me at the bikes when you want to leave.' He said, slipping out the doors. He tightened his jaw as he stepped out of the club, the heavy metal doors practically bearing down on him as he left. Yang watched him leave quietly, before making her way back to the bar. She sat down heavily on the stool, and Junior placed a glass down in front of her. She flashed him a small smile, recognizing it as a Strawberry Sunrise, no ice, with one of those little umbrellas sitting in it.

'Why the change of heart?' She asked tilting the glass towards him, and Junior regarded her quietly.

'For the broken heart.' He replied, smiling back at her. 'You look like you could use a drink.'

* * *

Jaye approached his bike, leaning against the seat. He ran a hand through his hair, before noticing a knife lying on the fuel tank, and he picked it up.

The knife was a simple, triangular, kunai-like throwing knife. A small symbol was emblazoned on the handle; a purple flower, a violet. He clenched the knife in his fist, and raised his arm to throw it away. He froze, unable to throw it, dropping his fist onto his head and groaning in frustration. He slipped the knife into his belt, magnetizing it to the back of his sword sheath. He looked up as Yang and Neptune approached him.

'Ready to go?' He asked, and Yang stared at him.

'Who was she?' She demanded, and Jaye stared at her for a moment. He sighed, scratching his head. Yang crossed her arms angrily.

'Well?' She asked, and Jaye stared at the wall.

'She was…someone from a long time ago. She was my partner, like the other half of me that I never knew I needed.' Jaye paused, glancing at the blonde. 'Are you sure you want to hear the story?'

Yang walked up to him, staring him down.

'You're damn right I am.'

* * *

Dun dun dun, dramaaaaaaa. You thought this was gonna be a straight and simple romance? Well you thought WRONG. Things are more interesting this way anyways.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18, have fun

* * *

Blake ran her hand down the white claw marks on the wall, peeping around the corner. Sun stood pressed up against the wall beside her, the two hidden from view.

A bouncer stood at the entrance of a dimly lit warehouse, ushering in a young faunus couple with a gentle bow.

'This is it.' She told the blond, slipping back out of view.

'You sure?' Sun replied instinctively, earning a glare from the bow-headed girl. He raised his hands in surrender. 'Y'know, I'm just gonna take your word for it.'

Blake glared at him, pulling her bow off as she stepped around the corner. The bouncer barely gave them a second glance, ushering them in without question, and Blake nodded to him in thanks. The pair rounded a corner, spotting now the white uniforms of the White Fang members.

'I don't get it. If you believe what you're doing is right, why hide who you are?' Sun asked, taking the mask Blake handed him, observing it critically. Blake turned to him quietly.

'The masks are a symbol.' She explained, producing a mask for herself. 'Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters.'

'Grimm masks. That's kinda dark.' Sun commented, grinning at the dark-haired girl.

'So was the guy who started it.' She replied, slipping the mask on, walking to the door. Sun sighed, staring at the object cradled in his hands.

'Always sunshine and rainbows with you.' He said to himself, slipping the mask over his eyes.

* * *

The two stepped forward into the main storage area, where a massive throng of faunus was already gathered. A White Fang member, clearly a leader or person of influence, stepped up onto the stage.

'Thank you all for coming.' He addressed the crowd. 'For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours. I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for, for so long.'

As he spoke, a gaudy man in a white coat stepped up onto stage, twirling a cane in his hand. Roman Torchwick smiled broadly at the crowd, even as jeers began to resound from them.

'Thank you, thank you! Please, hold your applause.' He jested, waving his hands at the crowd as if he were a star, ignoring their cries of protest.

'What's a human doing here?!' An antlered faunus woman in the front row gestured at him, antagonism clear in her voice. The boos resounded louder, but Torchwick only grinned wider.

'I'm glad you asked, deerie!' He punned, clearly amused by the small antlers sticking out of the woman's head. He raised his hands, turning back to the crowd.

'Now I'll be the first to admit, humans are the WORST. Case in point.' He announced, gesturing at himself. 'So I understand why you would love to see us all locked away. Or better yet; killed! but! Before the claws come out...'

Sun leaned closer to Blake.

'So, is he going somewhere with this or...' He trailed off as the crowd quietened down, Torchwick beginning to speak with more confidence and charisma.

'I would like to mention the fact that you and I ALL have a common enemy.' He declared, waving a fist in the air. 'The ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty rotten humans that run our kingdoms.'

He spun his cane in the air, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture.

'Government. Military. Even the schools! They're all to blame for your lot in life.' There was a clear shift in the crowd as he spoke, and a few small calls of agreement rang out.

'And they're all pests that need to be dealt with. Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around.' He declared, holding a hand over his heart dramatically. 'No offense to any rodents in the room.'

He snapped his fingers, and the large tarp behind him with the White Fang's logo was pulled off, revealing a massive mech, loaded with all kinds of heavy weaponry. Blake grimaced at the sight, her grip tightening, as the crowd burst into thunderous cheers and applause.

'Uh…that's a big robot. Is that the thing Jaye was talking about? The thing that was really bad news?' Sun whispered, and Blake nodded.

'Unfortunately. How did he get that? Of all the times Jaye had to be right.' Blake groaned, slightly panicked.

'As some of you may have heard, this right here–' He rapped his knuckles on the metal plating. 'Is Atlas' newest line of defense against all the scary things in the world. And thanks to my employer, we've managed to snag a few before they, uh, hit the shelves.'

He stepped forward to the edge of the stage, leaning over the crowd.

'Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operation in the south east.' He mused, pulling out a cigar, lighting it. He puffed on it a few times, pausing for dramatic effect.

'If you'd rather stay within the city, that's fine. But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?' He finished, and the cheers only grew louder. Blake glanced about, searching for an escape route.

'We should get out of here.' She whispered to Sun, and glanced up as the White Fang leader spoke.

'Will all new recruits please come forward?' He called, and the pair were pushed along with the crowd, leaving them no choice but to follow.

'What are we gonna do?' Sun whispered panickily, and Blake grit her teeth.

'I'm thinking.' She shot back. Sun glanced at Torchwick, and realized the orange-haired man was staring right at them. Torchwick chucked aside his cigar, starting in their direction.

'He sees us!' He cautioned, waving nervously at the crime boss. Blake glanced around, spotting a fuse box on a close by wall.

'He can't see in the dark.' She told the blond faunus, yanking Gambol Shroud off her back and firing. The bullet slammed into the fuse box, and the lights instantly shot out. There were sounds of panic and confusion, voices jumbled over one another, and the sound of an engine starting.

'Sun! The window!'

* * *

The two faunus smashed through the window, Blake rolling as she hit the ground. They charged off at top speed, just in time as the giant mech smashed through the wall of the warehouse. They dashed across the rooftop, the massive machine displaying astounding maneuverability as it kept up with the pair as they ran.

'So you wouldn't happen to have, oh I don't know, some form of backup?' Sun yelled desperately, hopping the gap between two shophouses.

'On it!' Blake pulled out her scroll, flipping to her team chat group.

'Everyone! If you can hear me we need back–' She started, but was cut off as Sun snatched the scroll out of her hand.

'HEEEEEEEELP' He screamed into the microphone.

* * *

'They've got a robot. And it's big! Really big!' Ruby, standing by a dumpster with her scroll, lit up in excitement.

'Oh, I am not missing this!' She squealed, breaking into a run.

* * *

'The Torchwick guy's in it! But not like, it didn't eat him-he's like, controlling it or something!' Yang glanced at the scroll in her hand, still glaring at Jaye. She shoved a finger into his face, as if to say "this isn't over", and hopped back onto her own bike. Jaye quickly started his.

'Where are you guys?' She yelled into the scroll, and glanced behind her in surprise as the two faunus dashed past the mouth of their alley, the mech hot on their tails.

'WE'RE OVER HEEEERREEE' Sun yelled as he dashed past. Neptune pointed at them quietly.

'I…think that was them.' He pointed out, and Yang put her scroll away.

'Yeah I got it.' She kicked her bike into gear, spinning on the front wheel and darting out of the alley, Jaye close behind, nearly tossing Neptune off in the process.

* * *

Blake and Sun leaped between cars, jumping off them to increase their speed. The huge mech was close behind them, charging through cars as it ran. Yang, Jaye and Neptune closed in from behind.

'We've gotta slow it down!' She yelled, and Neptune nodded.

'Got it.' He replied, reaching for his weapon. Jaye started as cars suddenly began flying towards them.

'Look out!' He called, swerving his bike to avoid them. Yang evaded the flying cars, but Jaye was forced to slide down to avoid a low flying one, the wheels passing narrowly over his head. He hit the floor, his bike skidding forward away from him. He activated his Semblance, creating a path of ice under him and his bike. Relieved of the friction, he spun on his back and onto his hands, springing off them and onto his feet. He snapped his fingers, creating a small ramp out of the ice, and he and the bike went shooting over it and into the air. Reaching forward, he grabbed ahold of the bike's handlebars, yanking himself back into the seat. He created another downward ramp, dropping onto it wheels first, and sped down back into the chase, nearly crashing into Yang in the process.

Neptune yanked his weapon off his back, spinning it in his hand as it transformed into a rifle. He took aim at the mech, charging it, releasing several densely compacted electric bullets. Several struck the back of the mech, jolting it but not slowing, and Neptune spun his weapon again, extending the handle into a long pole. The barrel of the gun opened, and a blade extended. He backflipped off the bike, raising the polearm, and the blade split into three parts, turning it into a trident. He shot forward, slamming the blades into the mech's back. The blades wedged into the mech's plating, and Neptune, still holding on, was tossed around like a rag doll.

'Neptune, hang on!' Sun called, slapping his hands together. Two glowing images of himself appeared, darting toward the mech. The copies slammed into the mech, dissipating on contact, but rocking the massive automaton nonetheless. His semblance having done no significant damage, Sun charged the mech, pulling out his staff. Torchwick spun the mech around, dislodging Neptune and sending him flying into Sun. The two boys tumbled over the edge of the highway, yelling as they went.

'Blake! I'm in position!' Weiss declared over the radio, leaping off a highway above. She dropped down in front of the mech, spinning Myrtenaster to strike. She spun in a circle, stabbing the blade into the ground, creating a ring of ice surrounding her. The mech's feet slipped on the ice, careening over her head. Jaye, some distance behind, created a ball of powdered ice, firing it at the mech. Upon striking the ground, they burst into crystals, creating a wall to redirect the mech over the edge of the highway and down below, where Ruby stood in wait. The mech landed on its feet, having managed to right itself in its fall, and poised itself to attack.

Switching his bike to autopilot, Jaye leapt off the seat, backflipping over the edge of the highway, to land beside his other four teammates. The girls poised their weapons as the mech advanced, and Jaye's eyes darted around, searching for hiding spots.

'Freezerburn!' Ruby yelled, and Jaye sprung backwards. Weiss once again created a circle of ice, and Yang leapt, slamming her fist into the ice, firing as she did. The ice instantly evaporated, creating a mist that hid their movements. Jaye concentrated, using his semblance to generate water to thicken the mist, and used his control to spread the mist around evenly. The mist doubled to reveal the laser beams of the weapon's targeting systems, giving them greater ability to avoid them. Jaye darted quickly around the mech, scanning for weak points. He noted the rather sparse armor over the knee joints, as well as the wide lenses on the frontal guns' targeting system, and relayed it to the girls.

Torchwick was growing frustrated inside the mech. The mist had rendered the targeting systems ineffective, and his guns had so far only struck tarmac. He fired again, narrowly missing Blake and Yang, jumping as the explosion masked the approach of Ruby. She slashed at the armor, her scythe glancing off the plating, and she quickly darted out of reach.

'Checkmate!' She yelled, and Weiss and Blake darted forward, slashing at the weak points Jaye had relayed to them. Weiss spun upwards, jamming her sword's thin blade into the lens, disabling the front gun, which had the pinpoint accuracy that posed a threat to them, before backflipping off a glyph and stepping out of range. She pulled Blake out of the way of an attack with another glyph, and sprung backwards repeatedly as Torchwick rained missiles down on them.

Seizing an opportunity, Torchwick targeted Weiss, blasting her out of midair. She fired a glyph into the floor as she flew, and Blake rolled into it. Jaye dashed behind the girls, sliding across the floor to catch Weiss before she hit the ground. He placed the silver-haired girl on her feet, darting forward to meet the other two girls.

The glyph glowed, taking the form of a massive clock face, charging up, and covering Blake with a golden light. She spun, slashing multiple times, severing the remaining missiles as the glyph seemed to extend the range of her slashes. They exploded harmlessly in the air, giving Ruby an opportunity to dart forward.

'Ladybug!' She called, and Blake darted towards the girl. The two darted back and forth, slashing at the legs of the mech. They slid past the mech, falling into place beside Jaye, who had formed a pad of ice. Extending the ice, the three shot up into the air, leaping off one of Weiss's glyphs, launching themselves at the mech. They slashed in unison, taking off one of the mech's arms. The three rolled as they hit the floor, skidding to a stop behind the massive machine.

'Solar Flare!' Ruby yelled, and Jaye slid between the mech's legs, getting behind it again as it turned to face the red-hooded girl. He slid into a crouch, placing his shield above his head. Yang ran towards him, leaping onto his shield, and Jaye shot up as hard as he could, launching the girl upwards. He threw a ball of ice up behind her, detonating it into an ice pad that she sprung off, smashing into the back of the mech. She fired Ember Celica into it several times, rocking Torchwick back and forth in the cockpit. Jaye darted between the legs, slashing at the joints that were proving much more difficult to sever than he'd thought.

The mech launched itself backwards, smashing Yang through several pillars, finally knocking her off its back. Turning as she fell, the mech's remaining gun transformed into an arm, smashing into Yang mid-fall, and sending her through another pillar. She hit the ground hard, a small crater left where she'd impacted. She bounced a few times before sliding to a stop, unmoving.

'Yang!' Blake called out in concern. Jaye dodged a falling pillar, switching his gauntlets to lightning dust. He slashed with his blades, firing off several waves of lightning at the mech, but Torchwick ignored him, focusing instead on the girl rising slowly to her feet.

'Don't worry.' Ruby consoled, planning their next move. 'With each hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back! That's what makes her special.'

The mech raised its arm, sending it hurtling toward the blonde. Raising a hand, Yang stopped the massive hunk of metal, the ground below her cracking from the impact. Her hair now glowing yellow, and her eyes a burning red, she cocked her arm back, smashing the mech's arm to pieces in a burst of fire. Torchwick grunted in frustration and kicked her, sending her flying between the two dark-haired girls.

'Bumblebee!' Ruby cried, and Blake threw Gambol Shroud to Yang, still holding on to the bungee cable attached to it. Yang caught it, slowing her flight, and she kicked off the ground, firing backwards with Ember Celica to build speed. She spun in a wide arc, aiming for the mech, but Torchwick darted out of her range.

'We have to slow it down!' Ruby yelled, Weiss pausing beside her.

'And how do you propose we do that?' She asked. Ruby pondered for a moment.

'Ice Flower!' She declared. Jaye and Weiss spun onto either side of the small girl.

Weiss spun Myrtenaster, creating a series of glyphs like a barrel, and Jaye generated a ball of water, flinging it at the mech. The machine and the ground around it now soaked, Ruby fired Crescent Rose through the glyphs, her bullets transforming into balls of ice, sending them hurtling towards the mech. They burst into shards of ice on impact, freezing the mech's wet legs to the soaked ground. The mech now jammed in place, Jaye spun around, creating a vertical wall of ice surrounding them for Yang to slide on, ending it with a ramp pointing directly at the mech. Decreasing the friction, Yang's speed increased, and she hurtled towards the machine, striking it with her free hand. It shattered to pieces with a loud crack, the cockpit flying clean out of the rest of the pieces.

The cockpit flew a good distance away, smashing to pieces upon hitting the ground. Torchwick tumbled out of the now destroyed cockpit, rolling to his feet, dusting off his coat.

'Just got this thing cleaned!' He complained uncaringly, brushing off his sleeves. Yang cocked Ember Celica, loosing a blast of fire at him. Just in the nick of time, a young woman dropped down in front of Torchwick, the fire dissipated harmlessly against her parasol. She leant the parasol over her shoulder, smirking at the five students. Her hair was three different colors; pink and brown with white streaks on the pink side, and she appeared to have heterochromia. Even as they watched, she blinked, and her eye colors switched several times. She was dressed in a white and pink jacket, ending just beneath her breasts, with a dark brown corset beneath it, exposing the sides of her hips. She wore dark brown pants, tucked into white and black boots with high heels, and an assortment of necklaces hung jumbled around her neck. She was diminutive in stature; even Jaye, who only stood at about 162 centimeters tall, was at least half a head taller than her. She was absolutely adorable. Torchwick stood up straight, smiling.

'Ladies. Ice King. Ice Queen.' He addressed, earning an annoyed "hey!" from Weiss. 'Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would.'

The woman, Neo, bowed to the girls, smirking as she did so. Yang dashed forward, yelling, and swung at the woman. Neo and Torchwick shattered like broken glass, and the five stared in surprise. They spun around as an airship went by, the door open, with Torchwick and Neo standing in the doorway, watching them as they left. Yang huffed in annoyance, and Jaye sheathed his swords.

'So I guess he got a new henchman.' She said, clearly miffed, retracting her gauntlets.

'Henchwoman you mean.' Jaye corrected, turning to leave. Weiss placed her hands on her hips.

'Yeah, I guess she really made our plans...fall apart?' She tried, feebly, to joke, and Jaye shook his head.

'No. Just, no.' Yang told her, and Weiss glared at her accusatively.

'What? But you do it!' She wined, and Yang turned away from her.

'There's a time and a place for jokes.' She admonished, and Weiss stared at her.

'Was this not it?' She asked, raising her hand quizzically, and Jaye rolled his eyes, signaling his bike to return.

'No, it just wasn't very good.' Yang told the heiress, walking after Jaye.

'Well, at least I'm trying.' Weiss huffed, stalking off after them. Ruby glanced about, suddenly remembering.

'Wait, where are Sun and Neptune?' She asked, and Jaye shrugged.

* * *

'They're probably fine, right?' Neptune asked. The two were sitting, eating noodles at "A Simple Wok Noodle House", having ditched the battle. Sun slurped up his mouthful of noodles.

'Probably.' He replied, and Neptune turned back to his food.

* * *

Okay, that's the end of Chapter 18 guys, new people are showing up next chapter, so BE EXCITED!


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19. Here's where it gets exciting!

* * *

'Hey guys, how's it hanging?' Sun called through a mouthful of noodles. The five members of Team RRWBY approached the two boys. Blake glared at the blond, and he swallowed his noodles with a nervous grin.

'YOU LEFT US TO FIGHT THAT THING! ALONE!' She hissed at the blond boy, and he held up his hands in surrender.

'Hey hey! I knew you could handle it, and you did! So everything's fine, right?' He feebly attempted to justify, and Blake punched him. The blond tumbled off his stool, and Neptune smiled down at him.

'You okay man?' He asked, as Sun stared up at the sky.

'Yep, I'm good.' He replied, eyes spinning. Jaye sat down at the stall.

'Dumplings, and a bottle of sake.' He told the stall owner. The old man nodded, zipping off to fetch the requested items. The girls glanced over at the boy.

'Aren't you underage?' Weiss asked, and Jaye ignored her, as the owner placed the bottle down in front of him.

'Yeah, I thought that too. But apparently he's nineteen.' Yang interjected, and Sun shot up.

'Cool dude! Can I get some of that?' He asked, and Jaye barely glanced at him.

'No.' He replied instantly, downing a small cup of the sweet drink, sighing in satisfaction.

'Aww, you're no fun.' The faunus boy pouted, crossing his legs on the stool. The girls sat down, chatting, and they ate.

* * *

'So what now?' Sun asked. Jaye glanced at the monkey boy. Yang, sitting next to Jaye, leaned in on their conversation.

'Now we check the subway systems I guess. There aren't really any in Vale, so I'm kind of stumped on where to look.' Jaye replied, spinning a chopstick in hand. 'We're going to have to figure out ways to get outside the kingdom to look around, and we can't do that while attending classes.'

'So what do we do?' Yang asked, leaning over the table, crossing her arms under her chest. Jaye ignored the sight, crossing his hands in front of his face.

'Mmmm…No idea.' He finally said, picking up his chopsticks. Yang glared at him, and he shrugged, picking up a dumpling. 'I mean, it's not like I can cut class for a few weeks and go searching. The only place that ought to have a subway system is the Mountain Glenn to the southeast, but I don't have a way to get there without the school's resources.'

'Well, so much for that idea.' Yang sighed, stealing one of Jaye's dumplings. He glared at her as she popped it into her mouth, grinning at him.

'Well either way, there's nothing we can do now other than to watch out for more White Fang activity in the city, and find an excuse to get outside of Vale.' He finished, putting down his chopsticks. He paused, glancing behind him as he poured another cup of sake.

'Something wrong?' Yang asked, and he hushed her with a look.

'Act like you don't notice anything.' He breathed, sipping from the cup. Yang looked at him, confused, and glanced backwards cautiously. The other members of their group didn't seem to have noticed anything, and she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. A movement and a glint of steel caught her eye, and she realized too late that it was a knife hurtling towards them. She flinched as the knife thudded into the wood of the short wall in front of their booth, where Jaye's head had been. Jaye spun out of his stool, drawing his weapons, as a cloaked figure darted out of the shadows at them. Yang recognized the purple cloak from the bar, and her eyes widened as a pair of swords; a katana and a wakizashi, clashed into Jaye's shield.

'Indigo! What are you doing!' She yelled, cocking Ember Celica. The others had finally noticed what was going on, and had drawn their weapons. Yang started towards the cloaked figure, currently engaged in a deadly dance of blades with Jaye.

'Stay back! All of you!' Jaye yelled, and Yang halted in her tracks. Jaye tossed his shield over his back, drawing his second sword, and spun into a series of rapid strikes. The cloaked figure evaded them effortlessly, striking back in between the blows. Watching the two fight was like watching a deadly dance, both parties in perfect sync, and Yang was stunned for a moment. She shook her head, clearing it. This wasn't the time to be standing around. She darted at the cloaked figure, cocking back her arm.

The person noticed her, and disengaged from Jaye, flipping out of the way of her punch. Yang charged, loosing a barrage of strikes, hitting nothing but air. She blocked a few sword strikes, countering back with a spinning crescent kick, and felt her legs go out from under her as the figure swept her pivoting leg. She hit the ground with a grunt, and rolled out of the way as the swords came down. She spun onto her feet, and crossed her arms to block as the figure darted forwards. Jaye dashed in front of her, deflecting the strike, wedging his blade against the aggressor's. Sparks flew as the edges ground against each other, and Jaye ran his sword forward along the opposing blade, stabbing at the cloaked figure's chest. The fighter backflipped out of the way, pausing as she landed. Yang stepped forward angrily.

'What's your deal Indigo? Why are you attacking us?' She yelled, and Jaye stuck his sword out to block her.

'That's not Indigo.' He said shortly, circling the figure. Yang looked at him, confused, and stared more closely at the figure. Only then did she realize that the figure was too bulky to be a woman, with broad shoulders hidden under the cloak, and the emblem holding the purple cloak to the figure's shoulders bore a different symbol. It was two swords, crossed, emblazoned in red on a circular badge tying the cloak to his shoulders. The swords he was carrying were different too, with red handle wrappings instead of purple. The figure darted suddenly, dashing at Jaye. Jaye raised his swords, deflecting the blows, but the cloaked man shot right past him. Jaye turned, slashing, but he was already out of reach and dashing straight at Yang. Caught by surprise, Yang could only cross her arms in front of her as the figure slashed, desperately deflecting the blow. He spun his cloak into her face, and she leaned back to avoid it, only to see a foot hurtling towards her stomach too late. She took the spinning back kick hard, landing on her back and skidding across the floor. The figure bore down on her, swords raised. He placed a foot on her chest to stop her escaping.

'This girl. You care for her. I wonder how you'll react if I kill her.' He spoke, his voice sharp and cold like a knife's edge. He raised his sword, the tip pointing at Yang's throat, staring at Jaye.

'Yang!' Jaye yelled, dashing towards them. He was too far away, he wouldn't make it in time. He raised his hand to throw his sword, but before he could, another cloaked figure darted out of the shadows. A purple-wrapped katana clashed into the figure's red one, knocking him off Yang. Standing protectively in front of the blonde, Indigo pulled her hood back, drawing her wakizashi with her free hand. She paced slowly to where Jaye was standing, her eyes not leaving the cloaked man. Jaye electrified his blades, spinning them in his hands. Indigo paused next to Jaye, and the two, without so much as looking at each other, darted forwards in unison. They spun, twirling their blades in a symphony of strikes, working in tandem with each other. To the others that were watching, it was like clockwork. The two fighters were in perfect sync; Jaye and Indigo fought like they were one, never getting in each other's way, never missing a beat, and their combined barrage of strikes overwhelmed the cloaked figure.

Indigo swung her sword in a diagonal slash, whilst Jaye cut at the cloaked man's legs. Backflipping out of the way, Indigo's blade missed his body by a centimeter, and he sprung backwards several times. The attack seemingly failed, they paused for a moment, before the man's cloak fell apart, the cloak and hood dropping to pieces on the ground.

'You don't deserve to wear that cloak.' Indigo spat venomously, pointing her sword at him. The man looked up, stepping forward into the light, finally revealing his face. He had short black hair, cut into a high fade, black eyes, and pale white skin. He was dressed in combat clothes, with a simple dark red long-sleeved jacket for his top, black pants, and dark red shoes. He had red bracers on his forearms, loaded with dust cartridges, and his Katana and Wakizashi's sheaths were strapped to his waist. The handles of his swords were dark red, with his symbol repeated on the blade collars. The swords had triggers on the handles, and the handguard of the sword was a short double ended gun barrel. All in all, the figure in front of them reminded all present of blood, not fresh blood, but blood that had been there for some time, not quite turning black, but turning ominously dark.

'Why are you getting in my way, Indigo?' The man spat, and Indigo spun her swords into a high guard.

'Because you're a madman. I won't let you hurt Jaye. I swear it.' Indigo stood between the two, glaring at the blood-red man.

'Your eyes won't save you, you know.' He warned, a dangerous glint in his eyes, and Indigo narrowed her eyes at him.

'We'll see about that.' She shot back, and the man darted towards her. Deflecting his blows, Indigo retaliated with a series of wide cuts, forcing the man back. Jaye shot around from the side, sliding a blast of ice underneath the aggressor, freezing the ground beneath him. The man seemed to hover above the ice, flipping out of the way of the ice as it shot upwards, freezing everything within the circle ten meters high. He darted around the pillar, kicking off it to increase his speed, and smashed into Jaye, knocking him to the ground. Jaye rolled back, kicking him off, and spun to his feet. He ducked the follow-up slashes, and retaliated back. The man sprung off apparently thin air into a side flip, spinning over Jaye's attacks and slashing, catching him in the shoulder. He pulled the trigger of the sword, and a gunshot rang out, blasting out from the rear barrel to increase the power of his slash. Jaye spun from the force of the blow, extending his leg in a spinning back kick, catching the man in the head. He spun through the air, suddenly halting in midair, two small glowing red circles beneath his feet. He stood sideways in the air, pacing around Jaye, the pads beneath his feet disappearing and reappearing with each step he took.

Indigo spun in, slashing the pad off his foot, making him fall sideways. He spun into a side flip, landing on his feet, and grunted as Indigo swept his feet out from under him. He froze sideways before hitting the ground, the pads back on his feet, and retaliated, running in a circular motion till he was fighting Indigo upside down. She was being continually pressured, as his strange fighting positions awarded him continuously changing angles to strike from. Jaye cut in, kicking him out of midair, sending him crashing to the ground. The man spun to his feet, creating distance between them, the frontal barrels of his swords extending. He pointed it at Jaye and Indigo, firing at them. The two evaded the bullets easily, but the man rushed in again, managing to outpace the two and kicking them back with a split kick. They skidded back into the group of onlookers, and the man stood, watching them with a smile on his face.

'You can't win Damian.' Indigo sheathed her swords, stepping sideways into a quick-draw stance, her hand hovering over the handle of her katana. The man, Damian, grinned at her.

'Really? I'm not even fighting for real yet.' He goaded, and Jaye changed out his dust cartridges.

'Well, he IS taking on the both of us and hasn't really taken much damage yet.' Jaye admitted, earning a glare from the auburn-haired woman. They returned their attention to the smiling man, who was nonchalantly twirling his swords. Without warning, he darted towards them, and Jaye raised his blades to receive the attack. Before Damian even got halfway however, a masked figure warped between them, receiving the attack on a pair of claws. All eyes widened as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and the masked man broke the blade lock with Damian.

He wore light red combat clothes, bordering on orange. He was wearing a simple orange, sleeveless vest, black pants, and orange shoes, with some armoring over the shins and knees. Bracers were strapped to his arms, with four claws extending out of the bracers over his fingers. There were small gun barrels protruding out of the top of the bracers, and the dust cartridges around his forearms seemed to be primarily ice and fire dust. An orange hood covered his head, while a simple eye mask covered most of his face, making him unrecognizable.

'What the heck? Who's this? Why are so many people showing up all of a sudden?' Jaye groaned to himself, raising his swords, preparing to fight. The masked fighter, however, darted towards Damian, slashing with his claws. Damian evaded the blows, retaliating back, but the masked man vanished, reappearing instantaneously in flashes of vermilion. He struck quickly and consistently, Damian managing to evade most of them. Catching the black-haired man by surprise, he knocked Damian back and into a wall.

'No way. Is that who I think it is?' Blake squealed, and the others started in surprise at the look of immense excitement spreading across her face. The usually dark and brooding girl was, for once, visibly excited by something, and was practically bouncing on the spot.

'Well, he seems to be on our side.' Jaye commented, glancing at Indigo. They dashed into the fray, and the three released an intense barrage of strikes, sending Damian through the wall. Damian grunted in pain, climbing back through the hole as his aura fortification fizzed out. He noted the heavy disadvantage as the three fighters approached him, and he grimaced.

'Well, I'd love to stay and carry on the fun, but I'm out of time. Be warned though, the next time you see me, things will be a whole lot worse for Vale.' He said, grinning at the three. Slashing his blade in the air, a dark red portal opened beside him, and he stepped through. Jaye made a break for the portal, diving at the mouth as it closed, missing it by an inch.

'Dammit!' He yelled, picking himself off the floor. Indigo made a sound of annoyance, sheathing her swords. The masked man sheathed his claws, retracting them into the bracers, and relaxed his shoulders. Jaye approached him slowly, swords still in hand.

'Who are you?' Jaye asked, and the masked man turned to him. 'I only know one person who uses claws like those, and can teleport like that. But you're not him. He's been dead for years.'

The masked man simply stared at him quietly, not saying a word. Jaye raised his sword, pointing it at the mask.

'I won't ask twice. That thing's coming off.' He cautioned, and the man cocked his head to the side, studying him for a moment. Raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, he reached up to his head, tapping behind his ear.

The mask shifted, unfolding, and retracted behind his neck, a pair of scarlet eyes appearing, blinking at them. As they watched, he flipped his hood back, revealing spiky red hair, and a pair of orange fox ears unfurled on top of his head. A massive grin spread across his face at the looks of shock and disbelief Jaye and Indigo were giving him.

'Kamina?' Jaye's voice cracked as he stepped forward, dropping his swords. Indigo stood on the spot, frozen, staring wide eyed at the redhead. The man, Kamina, grinned broadly at them.

'The one and only. Miss me?' He said, and Jaye tackled him to the ground. He got up, kneeling over the fox boy, throwing punches down on him as Kamina laughed, shielding his face with his arms.

'WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! IT HAS BEEN TWO GODDAMN YEARS, NOW YOU JUST SHOW UP LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?! I THOUGHT YOU DIED IN THE DUST MINES YOU PIECE OF LIVING SHIT! DON'T SAY SHIT! YOU A PIECE OF SHIT! I'M GOING TO KILL YOUR SMUG ASS RIGHT NOW YOU GODDAMN ASSHO–' Indigo grabbed the furious boy by the armpits, dragging him off the laughing faunus. Jaye kicked and yelled as Indigo dragged him, and Kamina got to his feet laughing even harder. Weiss held up her hands, shaking her head in confusion.

'Okay wait, stop. There are a whole bunch of questions that need to be answered. Right now.' She said, rubbing her temples. The others nodded in agreement, quietly watching the fox boy stifle his laughter. Weiss raised a finger into the air.

'First of all, who was that guy that attacked us? Second, who is she?' Weiss asked, pointing at Indigo.

'Third, who is he, and how do you all know each other?' She finished, gesturing at the fox boy and the still swearing Jaye. Indigo patted him on the back as Jaye breathed, reeling in his temper. He glared at the fox boy, jabbing a finger at him.

'You're going to give me a damn good explanation as soon as this is over.' He demanded, and Kamina grinned at him.

'Sure thing boss.' He answered cheerily, tipping his fingers in a mock salute. Jaye glared at him, flipping him off. He cleared his throat, turning to face the group of befuddled people.

'Well, whatever. First of all, this is Indigo. Indigo say hi.' Jaye told the group, placing a hand on Indigo's shoulder. She raised a hand in greeting.

'Hi. I'm Indigo Hanazawa. Age is a secret. My blood type is B positive, and my hobbies include martial arts and music. Umm…what else?' She pondered, placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully. Jaye slapped a hand across his face.

'Indigo, this is not a dating site.' He said, and she blatantly ignored him. Her face lit up as she remembered something.

'Oh yeah! I'm an information broker for the Faction. You guys don't know what that is but that's okay. It's basically this huge crime syndicate that runs majority of the kingdoms from the underground. It's pretty hardcore.' She stated flippantly, twirling a finger in her hair. 'I met Jaye, Kamina, and Damian, the guy that attacked us just now, when we were in the Faction together. We were a team.'

'Don't say that so casually. That stuff is supposed to be a secret!' Jaye groaned, dropping his face into his hands. Indigo continued ignoring him.

'Well, I think that just about sums it up. Any questions?' She asked, and the astounded group shook their heads mutely. Jaye groaned louder, and Indigo elbowed him in the stomach. She glanced around, her eyes settling on the fox boy.

'Oh yeah, I almost forgot. This is Kamina.' She said, patting the redheaded faunus on the shoulder. The fox boy grinned, stepping forward to greet them.

'Sup. The name's Kamina Vermilion. I am a fox faunus, as you can see.' He wiggled his ears, earning an "awwww" from Ruby. Blake stared, wide eyed and mouth agape, at the faunus. She looked just about ready to pass out from excitement.

'I'm eighteen, I don't know my blood type, and my hobbies are martial arts and licking myself.' He joked, noting the disgusted look on Weiss's face. 'I'm kidding, relax princess. Err…what else? Oh, Jaye and I have been best friends since we were fifteen.'

'Well, it's been two years, but as far as I can remember this bastard was the biggest prankster around. He really only did it to the Schnee family though.' Jaye interjected, patting the fox boy on the shoulder, glancing at Weiss. 'Don't worry though, Ice Queen, if he does anything to you, you have my wholehearted support in murdering his dumbass,'

Weiss flipped her hair, glaring at the fox boy. Kamina grinned back at her, winking, and she made a sound of disgust. Jaye turned serious.

'On a darker note, that guy who attacked us is called Damian Roth. As far as I know, he's still an assassin working for the Faction. Why he's targeting us is anybody's guess, but what worries me are his parting words.' He told them, and Yang placed a finger on her chin.

'What did he mean by "things will be a lot worse for Vale"?' She asked, and Jaye shrugged.

'If anything, he's probably referring to whatever the White Fang's been up to. Considering they actually got ahold of the mechs, that means the Faction's probably in on this. It's hard to believe Torchwick or the White Fang had the connections to get ahold of stuff like that.' He reasoned, and Indigo nodded.

'That's the most likely scenario. Plus I'd been snooping around for more information regarding the White Fang's movements recently. That might've tipped them off.' She interjected, crossing her arms. 'That could explain why Damian was sent to kill us.'

Blake shook herself out of her stupor, stepping forward.

'That still doesn't explain why he'd agree to kill you in the first place. If anything, he seemed happy about it. If he was your teammate before, I find it hard to think money alone would suffice.' She argued, and Jaye gave her a hard stare.

'No. It wouldn't. Money wouldn't be enough for him. Only our blood in his hands would be a fitting payment for him.' Jaye spat, kicking at the dirt. The girls of team RRWBY looked at him quizzically, and he turned away.

'There's a good reason why he'd do it. But it's not something that you need to know.' Indigo cut in, taking Jaye's hand in hers, and Kamina nodded in agreement. 'Some things are better left unsaid.'

The four girls glanced at each other tentatively, turning wordlessly back to Jaye. He refused to meet their eyes, and Indigo shook her head. Sun couldn't take the atmosphere.

'Anyways, now that that's all cleared up, our food's still sitting there. What say we get back to eating huh?' He said, trying to lighten the mood. The girls murmured in agreement, but Jaye turned away, pulling his hand out of Indigo's grasp.

'I'll head back first. Get back safely.' He called to the girls, and he started his bike. Without waiting for a reply, he turned his bike towards the road, making for Beacon Academy. He felt his bike jerk as someone landed on it, and he glanced behind him to see Indigo on the back, wrapping her arms around his waist.

'Don't leave me behind AGAIN.' She scolded, and Jaye smiled apologetically. He heard the sound of another bike, and turned to see Kamina roll up next to him.

'Ready to go partner?' He asked, grinning at Jaye, and Jaye glared at him.

'You still owe me an explanation you know.' He shot back, and the fox laughed, kicking his bike into gear.

'If you beat me to Beacon I'll tell you everything!' He called back over his shoulder, and Jaye sped after him.

'You annoying son of a bitch.' Jaye cursed at him over the radio, smiling to himself and watching Kamina's back as they sped down the highway. He felt Indigo's grip tighten over his stomach as she snuggled into the crook of his neck, and for the first time, he felt a little bubbly on the inside. He wondered what that feeling was, like his heart was jumping in his throat, and his stomach was fluttering. It was vaguely familiar, yet it escaped him.

'I'm so happy the three of us are back together.' He heard Indigo whisper in his ear, and Jaye smiled. He finally remembered what that feeling was. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

'Yeah. Me too.'

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter. This is basically Jaye's reunion chapter and his story is getting revealed. FINALLY. I feel like it was a long and arduous road to get here even though it's only been a few weeks. Anyways, I'm not done, more exciting shit is coming up, so stay tuned. School is killing me, but I'll find time somehow.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 guys, have fun! School is killing me, and I have zero time since my preliminary exams are in three weeks! Fun times. Haha no I'm dying help me. Anyways, I won't be writing much since I have to study, so here's something in the meantime.

* * *

'Okay spill.' Jaye looked up from his book as the four girls stood menacingly in front of him. They surrounded his bed, providing him with no escape, and he sighed, returning his eyes to the pages. He grunted in annoyance as the book was snatched out of his hands by Blake, and he turned to face the bow-headed faunus.

'You haven't said a word since yesterday. I can't believe the masked hero is your best friend!' Blake yelled at him, and Jaye flinched away from her, covering his ears.

'Ughhhh, too loud too loud too loud!' He groaned as the cat girl grabbed him by the collar.

'When will I get to see him again?!' She demanded, and Jaye looked at her, utterly confused.

'See who again?' He asked, and Blake rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'Kamina! When will I get to see him again?!' She repeated, and Jaye pushed her hands off his collar.

'Why do you want to see him? Don't tell me this is love at first sight because I don't believe in that crap. In fact, if you believe in that crap then you oughta believe in the whole "we'll meet each other again if it's meant to be!" schtig.' He waved his hand dismissively at her, and she slapped it away.

'What love? Are you stupid? I'm just a fan, that's all.' She huffed crossing her arms. Jaye was growing more and more confused by the second, and he rubbed his temples.

'Okay hold on, fan of what? Kamina? Is he famous or something? Is this a faunus thing? Or do you mean fan as in "I'm in love with him" fan, because I am not in the mood for that right now. I swear to–' Blake cut him off with a glare, and Jaye held his hands up in surrender.

'He's famous amongst the faunus. About a year ago, out of nowhere, a masked hero showed up. He freed dozens of faunus from slavery and imprisonment, destroyed hundreds of faunus labor factories, and brought down racist organizations one after another. He accomplished what many whole GROUPS had tried and failed to do in several YEARS…in the span of a few months.' She explained, crossing her arms. Jaye straightened out his collar, sighing.

' _That sounds like Kamina all right, always getting in over his head.'_ He thought to himself, making a mental note to beat the crap out of Kamina the next time he saw him.

'He's a hero, a living legend amongst living legends, and I'm a big fan of his work. So I'm gonna ask again. When will I get to meet him?' Blake finished, looking down at the annoyed boy who was currently spinning a knife in his hand. (I wonder where he keeps getting those knives from)

'When he shows up.' Jaye declared, kicking back against his pillow. 'I don't have any way to contact him, and he basically comes and goes, so you won't get anything out of me.'

Blake studied the boy for a moment, before turning on her heel and stalking back to her bed. Jaye sighed, picking his book back up, flipping to find his page, and grunted in annoyance as his book was whipped out of his hands AGAIN. He glared at the offender, and Yang, book in hand, glared back at him.

'Okay spill. Indigo. Who exactly is she?' Yang demanded, dropping the book on his bed. Jaye sighed, leaning back against his headboard. He stared at the blonde, and she glared indignantly back.

'I believe she told you. She was my old teammate, and one of my closest friends.' He said, and Yang rolled her eyes.

'Please, as if I believe that's all there is to it. Let me rephrase the question.' She leaned towards the dark-haired boy, jabbing a finger in his chest. 'Who was she to you?'

Jaye became aware of the four pairs of eyes staring at him, and contemplated escaping now that there was a clear route where Blake had been standing, but his thoughts were cut short by the finger jabbing him again. He sighed, turning away from the girl.

'We were lovers. There, you happy now? Are you satisfied that you've made me spill my guts on the table, huh?' He snatched his book back up off the sheets, opening it, and tensed in irritation as Yang once more snatched his book out of his hands, throwing it over her shoulder. Jaye's eyes followed its path as it bounced across the carpet, hitting the wall on the other side of the room.

'What the hell do you mean you WERE lovers?! She kissed you! She freakin kissed you! Twice! What's that supposed to mean if you WERE lovers?!' She yelled, shoving her face into his and jabbing him in the chest AGAIN. Jaye locked eyes with the heaving girl. As if he wasn't already annoyed that his reading was interrupted, but he'd had to contend with being mouthed off to not just once, but twice. Plus, she'd not only snatched his book out of his hands TWICE, she'd even thrown it across the room. _And_ she was invading his personal space, _and_ she was jabbing him in the chest, repeatedly. And the yelling, oh the yelling. He absolutely hated loud noises. Jaye was far past annoyed at this point.

In fact, he was downright furious.

'You're really testing my patience blondie.' He cautioned, gritting his teeth. Yang's eyes flared with anger, and she stood up straight.

'Oh, you wanna go tough guy? Let's go! Come on!' She challenged, extending Ember Celica. Jaye got slowly to his feet as the other girls crowded around, trying to calm them down.

'Yang! Calm down! Jaye, please!' Ruby squeaked, terrified, trying to get between the two furious fighters. Yang raised her fists, beckoning Jaye, and he stepped forwards into a simple fighting stance, right foot and hand forward, guarding his chin.

'Stop!' Weiss's voice rang out, and the white-haired girl stepped between them. The two ignored her, staring each other down over the girl's head, (Jaye had to tiptoe a little XD) and Weiss flipped her hair nonchalantly.

'Okay, it's clear that tensions are high, and both of you are pretty wound up right now. So, let's all just relax, take some deep breaths, and let that anger out okay?' She said, glancing between the two, before ducking with a yelp as Yang loosed a fireball at Jaye. Jaye backflipped out the window, dodging the fireball. He grabbed ahold of the ledge, slamming into the wall, and let go, dropping down the relatively short distance. He rolled on impact to break his fall, diving out of the way as more fireballs came crashing down into the ground where he'd been. Jaye rolled to his feet, turning to face the blonde, putting his hands up again.

Yang charged him, loosing a barrage of strikes, firing as she did. Jaye evaded them, pushing her hands out of line with his face, causing Ember Celica's shells to discharge harmlessly into the air behind him. He ducked a 540-roundhouse kick, spinning into a tornado kick to spinning hook combination. Yang evaded the kicks, blocked his follow up punch, and grunted as his fist came between her hands and smashed into her jaw. She stumbled from the blow, throwing a spinning crescent kick in a desperate retaliation. Jaye blocked it, forcing her leg down. Now Yang's back was facing him, and he pummeled her spine, discharging lightning dust as he did, smashing his fists into her liver. She staggered, nearly collapsing, and spun around to face him, just in time to see a spinning back kick fly into her face. She took the kick full on, and Jaye blasted her off her feet, sending her skidding across the concrete. She got to her feet slowly, and Jaye stood quietly, watching her rise. The blonde glared at him, her eyes burning with rage, and she ground her teeth together with a growl.

Yang charged in again, and this time Jaye went on the offensive. He slipped a wild haymaker, jabbing her in the face. He ducked a hook, and shot back across her face with one of his own. Blocking her desperate spinning crescent kick, he swept her feet out from under her, grabbing her by the back of her collar as she fell. He spun, throwing her clean over his head, and smashing her into the concrete. A crater formed where she impacted, and Jaye picked her up, still gripping her collar. He tossed her slightly into the air, executing a sidekick and knocking her several feet away. Yang rolled to her feet, skidding to a stop some distance away. Jaye waited patiently as she rose, hands at the ready.

'AAAAARGH!' A burst of flame enveloped the surrounding area as the blond girl activated her semblance. Jaye stood, unmoving, as she charged him again. Her swings becoming far more erratic compared to before, and Jaye had even less trouble avoiding her blows. He countered back several times, his punches hardly fazing her, and he grunted as her fist collided with his stomach. He spun around with the impact, using the momentum to throw a spinning hook kick into her face. She took it, barely fazed, and threw back with a 540. Jaye sprung backwards off his hands, slipping the blow, and backflipped out of her reach.

'What's wrong? Can't handle the heat?' She taunted, reloading her gauntlets. Jaye paced around her wordlessly, observing the girl.

'I don't know if you realize, but I haven't even used my swords yet.' He shot back, generating a ball of water in his hands. Without warning, he flung it at her, and Yang ducked as the ball burst into shards of ice. She darted between them, making for the boy, and Jaye spun on the spot, generating a circle of ice around him. She leapt over it, and realized her mistake when the pad glowed. Smiling, Jaye backflipped out of the pad, and it shot upwards, freezing everything twenty meters high. The blonde was caught inside the pillar, and she glared at him through the ice. Clenching her fists, she screamed, and the pillar exploded in a ball of fire. Yang tumbled out of the ice, hitting the ground with a grunt and rolling to her feet. She charged Jaye again, screaming in frustration as he continued to use his semblance to evade her attacks. It was unbearably frustrating, as Jaye's pinpoint accuracy with his ice allowed him to generate small pillars and shields to redirect or block her attacks, and she grew increasingly frustrated the more she failed to damage him.

Jaye shot up a small pillar of ice, freezing Yang's wrist as she punched. Stuck in place, he kicked her across the face, spinning into a 540 hook kick as a follow up. She ducked the blow, cracking the ice pillar, and returned to the offensive. No matter how much she fought, her blows continued to hit air, Jaye's semblance proving too difficult for her to deal with. She felt herself getting weaker as she continued to expend energy, and she began to slow. Jaye picked up on this, catching her outstretched hand and twisting it into a lock. He swept her to the ground, turning, and threw her over his head again. He slammed her into the concrete, the ground cracking from the impact, and pulled her to her feet. Her semblance fading, Yang desperately tried to defend herself from the barrage of strikes that followed, but a hook to her liver stunned her, and a spinning hook kick sent her flying. She hit the ground hard, rolling to her feet. Jaye had realized that kicks seemed most effective against her, and he barraged her with it. Unable to deal damage back, Yang took the blows harder and harder before her aura fortification fizzed out, and Jaye slammed her to the ground with a 540 triple kick. She gasped in pain, and Jaye planted a foot in her chest to stop her from getting up.

'Had enough yet?' He said, panting, and Yang tried feebly to push his foot off her chest.

'Screw you.' She spat, punching weakly at his ankle. Jaye narrowed his eyes at her, pressing down with his foot. He felt an impact in his side as someone tackled him, not even budging him, and he turned to see Ruby grasping on to his waist.

'That's enough!' She squeaked, tugging at him. Jaye took his foot off Yang, Weiss and Blake pulling her to her feet. Ruby glared at him, and he turned away from her. Yang struggled slightly against the girls.

'Let me go!' She yelled, pulling weakly at them. Weiss and Blake hauled her back to the dorms by the arms.

'Look lady, that really was your fault you know. Plus, if you can't even break free from us, what makes you think you can take him right now?' Weiss admonished the struggling girl, and Blake nodded.

'You're going straight to the sick bay, and we're getting you checked and treated.' She declared, and Yang submitted herself to being dragged along by the two. Ruby released Jaye, glaring at him, and began rather comically hitting him in the chest with the bottoms of her fists. Jaye watched the girl quietly, not really being affected by her blows.

'Why did you have to go so far!' She cried, not stopping. Jaye quietly watched her hit him, until Ruby ran out of breath from the combined effort of flailing and squawking. She dropped her hands onto her knees, gasping for breath, and Jaye turned to leave.

'She started it.' He said, walking quietly away from the girl. Ruby stared at his back, watching him leave.

'That's not the point!' She yelled, and Jaye ignored her. He darted up the wall of the dorm, climbing in through the window. He yanked his bag out of the wardrobe, stuffing a bunch of clothes and other essentials into it, and slipped out of the room. He got to the garage, kicking the door open. He started his bike, revving it into gear, and started straight out of Beacon. He hurtled down the road, picking up speed as he went. There was only one place he could go.

* * *

Headmaster's Office

* * *

Ozpin sat quietly, watching the boy ride out of Beacon. He flipped his monitor back to the damage, surveying it quietly. Glynda stood quietly beside him, looking at the screen.

'I should go down and fix that.' She said, starting for the elevator. Ozpin sighed, leaning back in his chair.

'Thank you Glynda. Sorry for the trouble.' He said, and she nodded wordlessly. The elevator doors opened, and she stepped inside. She paused in the doorway.

'Do you truly believe he'll grow from this on his own? Are you sure we won't need to guide him?' She asked, and Ozpin smiled.

'Yes, I do. A boy like him, having lived on the streets for so long, should have been far different when he came here than he was. It was clear that someone was showing him right from wrong, someone was guiding him and helping him grow. I am confident that he will naturally seek that person out in a time such as this.' He smiled at the blond woman. 'Whoever that person is, he, or she, will guide him for us. All we need do is watch.'

Glynda nodded at the silver-haired man, closing the lift doors. Ozpin leaned back in his chair, sipping from his mug.

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter guys! Get ready for something REAL good to happen in the next one!


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

* * *

'Make yourself at home. You know where everything is.' Jaye blinked as Indigo flipped the lights on. The two were currently at a small apartment building in downtown Vale, only a short drive away from Beacon. Jaye surveyed the apartment. It was small but cozy, well-furnished to the point that it looked almost luxurious. There was a white sofa against the wall, with a large plasma tv attached to the wall opposite it and a coffee table between them. A purple carpet lay across the floor, underneath the coffee table, and beside the setting was a set of sliding doors leading to a balcony. A small dining set sat under a mini-chandelier, and a fairly large kitchen with a small island in the middle sat opposite the bedroom door. The bedroom itself was large, with a king-sized bed inside and a walk-in wardrobe. Jaye smiled at the familiar sight, and Indigo placed her keys on a hook near the door.

'You know, you didn't have to call. You still have your keys don't you?' She asked, and he smiled at her, unstrapping his boots.

'I thought it would be rude if I didn't.' He said, glancing around. 'This place hasn't changed a bit.'

'Not since you left, no.' Indigo replied, unfastening her cloak. She slung it over a hook by the door, unfastening her boots. 'It was my way of remembering you, I suppose.'

'I'm not dead you know.' He joked, dropping his bag on the dining table. Indigo stalked past, undoing her gloves as she went. She shot him a sultry look over her shoulder, pulling the gloves off her arms.

'Give me a few minutes to change, and we can go for dinner.' She called, releasing the straps on her back, peeling off her armor. She walked into the bedroom, stripping off her pants, and opened the wardrobe, not even bothering to close the door as Jaye watched quietly. He paused in the doorway, looking at her back as she poked through her wardrobe, standing in her underwear. He sighed.

' _Oh god, I missed this.'_ He thought to himself, running a hand through his hair. His thoughts went back to the girls in Beacon, and he wondered if they were okay. His thoughts were interrupted as Indigo patted him on the shoulder, now dressed in a purple halter top and black pants.

'That was fast. Most girls take ages to change.' He commented, remembering how Weiss had taken _years_ to find an outfit to change into for their little operation of sorts. Indigo smiled at him, walking to the door.

'I'm not most girls.' She replied, pulling on a pair of heels, slinging a small purse over her shoulder. Looking at her now, one wouldn't think she was a fighter, or an information broker. Jaye pitied any sorry bloke who'd try and mess with her. And with how she looked, he got the feeling at least ONE case would occur that night. Jaye sighed, scratching his head, pulling his boots back on. Indigo regarded him quietly.

'You're not wearing that to dinner.' She said, pointing at his armor. Jaye glanced at her, and looked at himself.

'What's wrong with it?' He asked, puzzled, and Indigo sighed, pulling her shoes off.

'Ugh, you can be such an idiot sometimes.' She grumbled, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into the bedroom. 'Your old clothes are still here. Let's get you something to change into.'

* * *

'I've always wondered, why do you wear armor anyway? You've never really needed it.' Indigo asked, popping a spoonful of rice into her mouth. Jaye shrugged, cutting his chicken.

'Dunno, guess it felt a little more secure.' He said, and Indigo frowned at him.

'Well don't, you look better without it.' She told him, and he chuckled. Jaye was now dressed in a grey t-shirt and navy jeans, with a pair of simple black shoes and his leather jacket. The two were sitting in a restaurant on the corner of the street, and somehow the cook and store owner of the place seemed to be the same old man as everywhere else. Jaye wondered how much money that guy had, and how he managed to be everywhere at once.

'So, why did you come to see me? And staying over no less.' She asked, and Jaye stared down at his plate. 'Did something happen?'

'Sort of…' He said, chewing quietly, and Indigo stared at him.

'Jaye, you wouldn't come to see me if it wasn't serious. So how about you cut the crap and tell me what happened.'

* * *

'So you beat her up? Wow, now you're making me feel bad.' Indigo crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. Jaye raised his hands defensively.

'Ah no, it's not your fault. I mean, Yang getting jealous isn't your fault, it's her own problem.' He declared, picking up his cutlery. 'She's just being immature.'

'So are you, you know.' She replied, and Jaye looked up at her.

'Excuse me?' He said, looking at her, puzzled, and Indigo giggled.

'You're excused.' She teased, and laughed at the death glare he was shooting her. 'Sorry sorry, I won't tease you, I promise. But yes, you were being quite immature. You definitely could have handled that without starting a fight.'

'She started it, not me.' Jaye defended, poking at his chicken. Indigo placed her hand over his.

'You could have defused it. Yes, she was being immature, but that doesn't mean you should behave the same way. You could have done things differently. If you DID…then well, we wouldn't be having this conversation now.' She said, rubbing circles into the back of his hand. 'Though I'm not exactly complaining.'

Jaye took her hand in his. He held it quietly for a moment, staring at her fingers. Her hands were slim and soft, the long digits pearly white. Her hands were unlike those of a fighter; they were those of a princess, royalty. Yet her whole life she'd had to slog and work, crawl through dirt, just to survive. She'd trained constantly, fought hard, her beauty was just something she'd been born with. Compared to Yang, Indigo was a far more precious gem, and yet he couldn't shake his mind from the blonde girl. It was as if Indigo could feel it through his hands, and she gripped them tighter.

'What is it about her? What is it that draws you to her despite everything I do?' She whispered, and Jaye let go.

'I don't know.' He breathed, returning to his food. Indigo watched him for a moment, and returned to her plate as well, sipping from her wine glass. The rest of the dinner continued with idle chit chat, and pointless banter, as if the two were trying their best to avoid addressing what was in front of them

* * *

Back In The Apartment

* * *

'You can set yourself up on the sofa.' Indigo said, and Jaye nodded quietly. Indigo glanced between him and the bedroom, not particularly conspicuously.

'Or you know, if you feel like it…' She trailed off, biting her lip, and Jaye looked away nervously.

'Uh…' He mumbled, scratching his head, and Indigo grinned at him.

'Wanna watch a movie?' She asked, bouncing over to the TV. Jaye smiled at her, plopping down on the couch.

'Sure. What've you got?' He replied, and Indigo picked up the remote, switching on the TV.

'I've got a whole hard drive of em. Take your pick.'

* * *

3 Hours Later

* * *

In the end, they'd couldn't decide between watching a romance or action movie, then eventually decided to watch one of each. They were currently in the middle of the romance one, and both of them were falling asleep.

'This is pretty boring, isn't it?' Indigo murmured, inching closer to Jaye. He was propped up on the sofa beside her, his arm outstretched on top of the sofa. Indigo slid quietly into the gap, slotting herself under his arm. To her surprise, and a pleasant one at that, Jaye didn't move away or admonish her. Smiling, she nuzzled into the crook of his neck, and he let his arm fall over her shoulder.

They watched a particularly trashy scene unfold on screen as the two lead actors stood in the rain, pouring their hearts out to one another. Despite the gut-wrenching cheesiness of the film, it was as if something struck home for the two as they watched, the scene reflected in their eyes. Outside the balcony, rain poured down on the blacktop, filling the room with the brilliant scent of petrichor, as if being cleansed. Indigo turned to the dark-haired boy. He glanced down at her, staring into her brilliant violet eyes. No matter how many times he looked at them, he was amazed. Her eyes were almost every shade of purple at different times, changing practically based on her mood. He didn't know if that was heterochromia or if it was something else, but regardless, it was beautiful.

Taking a deep breath, he closed the gap between them. Indigo leaned in to him; her lips on his were incredibly, _incredibly_ soft, and he felt his head spin. They broke apart, still staring at each other.

'Why do we keep doing this?' She breathed, and Jaye kissed her again. She pushed him off, staring straight into his eyes.

'Do you love me?' She asked, trembling, and he pulled her closer.

'Always.' He breathed, leaning in to kiss her again. She placed her hands on his chest, stopping him from getting any closer.

'Do you love me more than her?' She asked, and Jaye froze, mouth slightly agape, unable to reply. Indigo stared straight at him, not breaking eye contact, and he shut his mouth. He took a breath, setting his jaw, and stared back resolutely.

'Yes.' He admitted. Indigo smiled at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

'But we can't, can we?' She asked, and it was like a switch had been flipped, a button pressed, and the world froze. For a long moment, Jaye simply stared into her eyes as what they'd been so afraid to even _mention_ was finally brought to the table. Right then, right there, the world seemed to stop for them, and Jaye gazed into her eyes, terrified of her gaze yet encapsulated by it. To say it would be to destroy it; admitting it would destroy this world created just for them, and he'd been too afraid, too unwilling for so long to let her go. But it could only go on for so long, they could only pretend it could go on forever. The sound of the rain pervaded the apartment, and Jaye finally shook his head, letting his hand drop onto the couch seat.

'No. We can't. It was impossible the moment I left. To be with you would mean to be in that world again. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going back.' He muttered, voice quivering, and Indigo's lips trembled, tears running down her face. She laughed weakly, wiping the tears away. Jaye reached for her, but she held up her hand.

'No, no. It's fine. I knew it all along, I think I was just denying it. I kept telling myself that it wouldn't matter, that we could live together, grow old together, die together, that we could be happy! But it was just me deluding myself.' She hiccupped, covering her mouth with her hands.

'To be with me would be a constant reminder of the life we lived back then, of the things we did. Even now, I choose to stay where I'm reminded of it, almost like a way of checking myself every time I try to be happy. I admire you, for having the courage to leave, to try to make yourself clean again. But I don't have that courage.' She dropped her hands into her lap, and Jaye took them in his own, running his thumb over her knuckles.

'Can we…ever truly be clean? Can our sins ever be forgiven?' He asked, and Indigo shook her head.

'I don't dare to try.' She whispered, and Jaye pulled her into his arms. He held the sobbing woman tightly as she cried into his shoulder.

'Well I'm going to try.' He whispered, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her for a while, just letting her cry. He could feel her small body underneath his arms. For so long, she'd been a pillar of support and understanding for him to lean on, for him to rely on. Every time he'd fallen down, Indigo had been there to help him stand. She was his rock, his wisdom, his source of strength. Now, that woman was sobbing, damaged and broken, in his arms, and he was powerless to help her. Two broken people couldn't mend each other, but if he could find a way to fix himself, maybe he'd be able to find a way to fix her too. But for now, he could do nothing except let her cry in his arms. She pulled away quietly, and Jaye took her hands in his.

'For as long as I've known you, you have been everything to me. We fought together, trained together, laughed together, even _lived_ together. You took everything for me; all the pain, all the suffering, all the wounds. No matter how many people told you that I didn't deserve you, you always stood up for me. No matter how many people, angry over their rejections, called you a cougar (though the age gap was barely three years) you took it all without complaint.' Jaye wiped a tear from her face, and she gazed into his deep brown eyes. He leant his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. 'When I tried to leave the Faction, you vouched for me, _knowing_ the risks it posed to you and your status. You've done so much for me, even though I could never give you anything in return. Even if I had ten more lifetimes, I could never repay the debt I owe to you.'

'Don't say that. I did all of that out of my own free will. I chose to love you, I never said you had to love me back.' She whispered, pressing her lips to his. He pulled her into his arms, picking her up off the couch. He carried her, bridal style, into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

On the TV, the movie continued, and the actors had finally confessed to each other, after a long and drawn out scene, culminating in them kissing in the rain. In the night sky outside the apartment, the rain continued, beating down on the asphalt, almost as if the sky itself was crying with them. As it poured, the clouds that covered the night sky parted ever so slightly above them, stars winking through the gap, down on the two lovers in silence, peeking through the curtains as they poured their hearts out to each other.

* * *

AAAAAAND THIS. IS. JAYE'S. DEVELOPMENT. AAAAARRRRRRRCCCCCC. I'm so glad we made it here, I really love writing this story. I hope I portrayed Jaye's immaturity well in these past few chapters, as well as Indigo's maturity and wisdom. So tell me, how do you like it, seeing Indigo's weakness, despite all that she'd accomplished. I feel like things like that make the characters more human, and you'll see and be reminded in the rest of the chapters that while Indigo might seem like a perfect, has-it-all-together character, she has her own demons and insecurities to fight. This chapter was like a breaking point, where she stayed strong for so long that admitting to Jaye that she KNOWS they can never be together served as the tipping point for her to hit the end of her rope and let it all pour out. I hope that this has given you more insight into the characters, especially Indigo, and I hope that Jaye has been developing properly and learning at a good pace as well, BUT this isn't the end of this, Jaye still has plenty more room to grow! Kamina and Indigo are going to be recurring characters in this series because I love them, and both of them will help Jaye to grow and will grow along with him.


	23. Chapter 22

HEY GUYS I'M BACK. Exams were killing me, but I finally have time now to do what I want, so yeah. As an apology, because I'm only sort of sorry, I wrote an extra long chapter for ya'll. Anyways, picking up where we left off previously, this chapter is going to be a very important chapter in defining Jaye and Indigo's past, AND their growth as things pass, so stay tuned, this'll be fun!

* * *

Chapter 22

* * *

Jaye groaned, a bright red flashing against his eyelids. He turned to both sides, making a sound of frustration as the red glow didn't fade. He blinked, flinching away as the source of the glow, a little beam of sunlight, fell across his now raw eyes. He turned away from the offending beam, attempting to roll over onto his side. Something soft was weighing down on him, stopping him from doing so, and he looked down to see a mop of auburn hair lying directly beneath his chin.

Indigo shifted, stirring slightly, and squirmed on his chest, snuggling into him. Jaye sighed, staring up at the ceiling, and grumbled as the beam continued to peek through the curtains and into his eyes. Pointing his finger at the gap, he fired a small blast of ice, freezing the little panel of glass, diffracting the light and relieving him of his suffering. He dropped his head back down, onto the pillow, letting his hand fall onto Indigo's back. He ran his hand up and down, feeling her soft, supple skin beneath his fingers, and a flutter ran through his chest. He stared up at the ceiling, a pained look spreading across his face as he quietly lay there, letting her sleep. He balled his hand into a fist, dropping his forearm across his eyes, and gently pushed Indigo off to the side. She moaned sleepily, curling up on the pillow, and Jaye slipped out of the covers.

He walked into the bathroom, running the tap, and sloshed water over his face, staring into the mirror. He stood there, unmoving, the tap still running, as he stared at himself. Only now did he realize that he'd been crying, his eyes slightly puffed, and he glanced back through the door at the sleeping woman, still curled up on the bed. The fluttering came back, and he grit his teeth, grip tightening on the edges of the sink. He grasped at his chest, searching desperately for his resolve, and shut off the tap.

* * *

He walked out to the hall, patting down his hair, and pulled the fridge open. He yanked out a carton of apple juice, pouring himself a cup and raising it to his lips, before realizing that there was noise coming from behind him. He realized they hadn't turned off the TV before…that, and he groaned in frustration. H flinched as a cartoon explosion went off behind him, and frowned.

' _It…should have stopped when the movie finished…right?'_ He thought, whirling around. A cartoon was playing on the screen, with a masked man comically punching a criminal, and Jaye raised an eyebrow when he noticed a figure sitting on the couch. The figure was silhouetted against the light of the balcony, so he couldn't quite make him out.

He tensed in anticipation of an attack, but his face went deadpan when he noticed the silhouette had a pair of pointed fox ears. Kamina barely glanced at him, throwing popcorn into his mouth, and Jaye slapped a hand to his face.

'Morning.' Kamina called, chewing noisily, and Jaye glared at the fox boy.

'How'd you get in.' He spat, and Kamina jerked his thumb wordlessly at the open balcony doors.

'Had fun last night?' The fox boy asked, and Jaye shook his head, finishing off his cup and reaching for the carton again.

'Yeah. It was great.' He answered shortly, pouring another glass. 'Why are you here exactly?'

Kamina put the popcorn down on the table, getting to his feet and stretching. He flicked his ears back and forth, grinning at the glaring boy.

'No reason. What's the time now?' He replied, and Jaye glared at him even harder.

'There's a goddamn clock for a reason.' He told the grinning faunus, and Kamina rolled his eyes, turning obligingly to the clock ticking on the wall.

'Then it is time for me to go.' He told Jaye, and with a burst of laughter, flashed out the balcony doors, leaving nothing but an orange wisp behind. Jaye stared at the gap in the curtains wordlessly, the messy sofa, and popcorn still on the table hovering in the corner of his view. He contemplated going out to kill that cocky-ass shit bag, then decided against it in favor of his own comfort. He stood quietly, watching the window, sipping on his apple juice.

* * *

Back In Beacon

* * *

Ruby propped her head up on her hands, leaning on the table. She sighed to herself, glaring at the floor, and started as Weiss slapped her hands down on the table. Ruby Yang and Weiss were currently in Beacon's ballroom, setting up for the dance the next day. Ruby stared at the two squares Weiss had placed in front of her, and looked quizzically at the heiress.

'I need you to pick a tablecloth.' Weiss declared, pushing the two squares towards the dark-haired girl. Ruby looked at them, confused.

'Aren't they both the same?' She asked, honestly befuddled, and Weiss made a sound of annoyance.

'I don't even know why I asked!' She exclaimed, stalking off haughtily. Ruby stared after the girl, utterly confused, and dropped her head down onto the table as Yang dropped a massive speaker down behind her, causing the small girl to bounce comically upwards from the impact.

'So, have you picked out a dress yet?' Yang asked, dusting off her hands as she approached the dejected girl. Ruby turned her head slightly on her hands, facing the blonde.

'What's the point? Who cares about the dance if Blake and Jaye aren't going?' She muttered, staring blankly at the tabletop. Yang smirked at the girl.

'Oh, don't worry. She's going.' Yang declared, placing her hands on her hips. Ruby looked up at her, narrowing her eyes, clearly noticing the use of the word 'she' rather than 'they'.

'You seem awfully chipper, even after what happened with Jaye.' She pointed out, and Yang stiffened slightly, still smirking. Ruby returned her gaze to the tabletop, and Yang glanced away nervously.

'He hasn't been back for two days. Where do you think he is?' She asked, running a finger in circles on the tabletop. Yang's face went dark, and she crossed her arms.

'Hell if I know.' She muttered, glaring across the room. Ruby gazed at the blonde sadly, and Yang refused to meet her gaze. 'Weiss! I thought we agreed, no doilies!'

'If I don't get doilies, you don't get fog machines.' The heiress declared, jamming a finger into Yang's face. Ruby turned back to the tabletop, sighing, ignoring the two girls as they continued to argue. She glanced up as the doors opened.

'Your dance is gonna have fog machines?' Neptune asked, walking through the doors with Sun just behind him. Weiss approached the blue-haired boy, her delight gleefully undisguised.

'We were thinking about it.' She replied, wiggling nervously in front of him. Neptune flashed her a smile.

'That's pretty cool.' He said, grinning widely at her. Weiss stared back at him, and Ruby rolled her eyes at the obvious sexual tension between the two.

'You ladies all excited for dress up?' Sun cut in, and Weiss shot him a look of disgust and annoyance at being interrupted. Ruby snorted with laughter.

'Pfft, yeah right.' She said, dejected, and Yang grinned triumphantly.

'Laugh all you want. I'll be turning heads tomorrow night.' The blonde declared, and Ruby rolled her eyes.

'Yeah, but no point if the head you want to turn isn't there.' She muttered under her breath, turning away from the group.

* * *

Jaye grunted, reeling back as a kick connected with his stomach. He slipped the blades that flashed towards his neck, countering back with his swords. Indigo slapped his blades aside, smiling widely at him as she barraged him with strikes. Jaye spun out of reach, loosing a few waves of lightning at her. Indigo rolled out of the way of one, deflecting the others with her swords.

'That semblance of yours is a real pain in the ass you know that.' Jaye called, spinning his swords in hand. Indigo laughed, shaking hair out of her face.

'Good to know. You should probably start taking this seriously then.' She smiled at the raven-haired boy, and he rolled his eyes. Jaye raised his blades, eying the girl.

'Your Perfect Vision's improved you know. It's even more over-powered than before.' He called, and Indigo winked at him.

'I know. I try. I can even see aura levels and paths now! Means I'll know if you're using your semblance, and HOW you're using it before it even leaves your body. Plus, no more time limit.' She told him cheerily, sticking her tongue out at the boy. Jaye groaned in frustration.

'Oh great. As if it wasn't already annoying enough. Guess that means I'll just have to move faster than you can dodge.' He said, and without warning, flashed a wave of lightning towards her. Indigo slashed through it easily, but her grin faded as the ground below her glowed, and she backflipped out of the ice pillar. She spun in midair, dodging the ice shard that shot up from the ground behind her, and rolled to the side as she saw a blue aura shooting towards her. Jaye smashed through the pillar, his sword stabbing into the ground where she was, and Indigo back-flipped well out of his reach.

'Still being cautious despite all that. No wonder you don't lose.' He sighed, pulling his sword out of the ground. Indigo smiled at him, twirling her blades carelessly between her fingers.

'Not being careful when fighting YOU is a death wish. If not for my semblance, I'd have already lost.' She said, rolling her eyes. 'Your semblance is pretty over-powered too you know. I've got to keep watching my feet and my back.'

Jaye smirked at her, and Indigo charged him, slipping the waves of lightning he fired to slow her approach. He stepped in as she swung, cutting into the arc with his swords and forcing her to change the direction of her blades to match his. They clashed with a sharp ring, blades wedged against each other's, and Jaye threw a roundhouse kick into Indigo's stomach. She grunted from the blow, reeling slightly, and he spun into a spinning hook-kick, knocking her blades aside and striking with his sword. Indigo leaned back, dodging the slash precariously close, and Jaye utilized the momentum to execute a spinning back-kick as a follow up. His foot collided with her stomach again, and she went flying backwards off her feet. She flipped in mid-air, recovering, and landed, her boots skidding over the pavement. Jaye dropped his foot to the ground, smiling, and Indigo shook her head.

'It's been so long, and you still haven't lost your edge.' She mused, sheathing her blades, starting back towards the apartment. Jaye grinned at her, slinging his swords across his back, falling into step next to her.

'It helps when assassins come after you all the time. Keeps you on your toes.' He joked, and she punched him in the arm. Indigo's face turned serious.

'So? What are you going to do about Miss Hot and Bothered by everything?' She asked, and Jaye shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

'I honestly have no bloody clue. I know I've got to fix things, but I don't think that fight was my fault in the first place, so apologizing isn't going to change her attitude.' He pondered, shaking his head. Indigo dropped her gaze from his face, staring at the ground.

'I guess I'll have to think it over a bit more.' Jaye finished, glancing over at the sullen girl. 'Indigo, you okay?'

She smiled at him, silently. As she did, he caught a glimpse of her eyes, a little sparkle as they caught the sun. Even as he watched, the sparkle rolled down her cheeks.

'Indigo you–' He trailed off, and she started, touching her face.

'Huh? Why am I–' She said, but her voice caught in her throat, and she rubbed her forearm across her eyes, turning away from Jaye as she did. Jaye reached out to her a little helplessly, his voice barely audible.

'Indigo I–' He began, but she cut him off with a hand.

'It's fine. We talked about this, remember? I just–need a little time.' She said, covering her mouth. She dropped her hand to her side, taking a deep breath.

'Even so, I can't help but resent her a little you know.' She whispered, and Jaye reached a hand out to her, but Indigo stepped out of his reach.

'No–! No. Don't. It's not your fault, it's just the hand we've been dealt. Just…just give me some time.' She turned away, walking towards the road, and Jaye stared after her quietly. He balled his hands into fists, throwing his head back and staring at the sky. He swore under his breath, flinching slightly as the sun peeked out over a cloud and cast a ray of light into his eyes.

He shut them, avoiding the glare, but the light left a red glow under his eyelids that he couldn't shut out. He turned away from the infernal ball of burning gas, but the warmth of the sunlight seeped through his clothes and onto his back. He shook his head, feeling the warmth wash over him, and he sighed in defeat. How it had come to this, he had no idea. But he'd made his decision.

It was time to make good on it.

* * *

Beacon

* * *

'Okay! And that's a wrap. Everything's all in place for the dance, AND I gave Blake a talking to, so she'll be at the dance for sure!' Yang declared, grinning widely at the two girls. Ruby rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

'Not who I was referring to.' She muttered under her breath, and Weiss flipped her hair nonchalantly.

'I'm honestly having some serious doubts about whether or not she'll actually show up.' She admitted, and Yang laughed.

'Don't worry. I gave her the good ol' Yang Xiao Long talking to. She'll be there. Trust me.' Yang declared, jabbing her thumb into her chest. Weiss glanced at Ruby, the two clearly not convinced, and Yang rolled her eyes, making a sound of annoyance.

'Sounds like you guys are having fun.' The girls perked up as a voice sounded from around the corner. They watched as a familiar purple cloaked figure stepped quietly out from behind the wall, pulling her hood back. The girls' eyes lit up when they saw her face.

'Indigo!' Ruby squealed, throwing her arms into the air. The purple haired woman smiled at them, approaching quietly. Weiss and Yang watched her approach, a confused look plastered across their faces.

'You're…Jaye's friend, right?' Weiss asked, waving a finger at the woman, and Indigo smiled.

'If you look at it that way.' She answered shortly, turning her gaze to the blonde. Yang locked eyes with her, and set her jaw in a straight line. Indigo smiled sadly at the girl.

'Hello Yang.' She greeted, and Yang raised an eyebrow.

'Um…hello?' She replied, crossing her arms. 'Is there something you need?'

Indigo cocked her head to the side, still looking at the blonde girl. Yang squirmed a little, unsettled by her gaze.

'If you don't need anything, then I'm going to leave okay? I'm kind of busy right now.' She said, and Indigo's smile faded.

'Defend yourself.' She told the blonde, and Yang turned to face her.

'Excuse me?' She asked, and Indigo glared at her.

'I said defend yourself. It wouldn't feel right otherwise.' She said, and her cloak flashed open. Yang's eyes widened as Indigo's blades flashed towards her head, and she ducked in panic. She fired back with Ember Celica, but Indigo slashed them out of the way with her blades. She spun on the spot, kicking Yang in the stomach, sending her reeling backwards. Indigo raised her blades, stepping in, and Yang caved under the flurry of attacks. She panicked, flipping backwards out of the way, and fired blasts from a distance. Indigo deflected them easily, dashing in, and knocked Yang's hands away.

'Indigo! What are you doing!' Ruby yelled, and Weiss pulled out her scroll. 'Why are you attacking Yang!'

'Stay out of this!' Indigo yelled at the girls, and Ruby froze in shock. 'This is between me and her.'

Indigo returned her attention to Yang, who was now charging her. She deflected the blonde's blows easily, countering back with blinding speed. Yang felt fear rise in her chest as she fought, it was as if Indigo knew every move she was going to make even before she made it. Indigo barraged her with strikes, and Yang panicked even further, stumbling backwards. Seizing the opportunity, Indigo swept the blonde off her feet, stabbing her katana into the ground next to Yang's head. Yang glared up at her fearfully but defiantly, and Indigo stared right back.

Yang flinched as something dropped onto her face, and she stared at Indigo, barely registering what it was. She felt another drop hit her face, and her eyes widened as she realized that Indigo was crying. She watched, stunned, as Indigo glared at her through tear-filled eyes, and she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came to mind. Indigo took her foot off Yang's chest, and the blonde sat up.

'Why you?' She choked out, and Yang looked up at her in bewilderment. Indigo clenched her teeth, and for the first time, Yang realized that she was hurt and angry. The beautiful woman, the strong woman that she'd felt so threatened by, was broken and suffering, and Yang had no idea how to respond. Indigo turned away angrily, sheathing her blades. She turned back towards the path out of Beacon, and left, wordlessly. Yang shook herself out of her stupor and pulled herself to her feet, yelling after the crying woman.

'What was that about?!' Indigo stopped in her tracks, not turning around.

'I just wanted to hit you, that's all. Sorry, but I needed to do it.' She said shortly, and Yang clenched her teeth.

'What for?!' She yelled, and Indigo whirled to face her.

'Because he chose you!' She yelled, and Yang flinched back at her words, stunned. Indigo pressed a palm into her eyes, trying in vain to stem the tears that ran down her face.

'What is it about you?! What?! Tell me! What is it that that draws him to you?! What?!' She screamed violently, tears running freely down her face. She glared at the blonde, lip trembling, and Yang cowered slightly under her gaze. Indigo glared at the blonde, letting her hands fall to her sides.

'He chose you. Maybe it's because of how things are, because of what I _still_ am, but either way he chose you. I hope you understand what that means.' She spat, turning back down the road. Yang stared after the crying woman, finally registering the words she'd said. She stood, quietly, staring at her back, until Indigo disappeared out of the gates.

* * *

Back At The Apartment

* * *

Indigo fumbled with her keys, hands trembling, as she struggled to slip it into the lock. She finally managed it, turning it quickly, and slipped inside. Slamming the door shut, she dropped her head onto it in frustration. She'd finally stopped the tears not long before reaching, and she rapped her head gently against the wood. She pushed herself off the door, turning to face the apartment. It had been impeccably restored, as if no one else had ever been there. She walked into the bedroom, taking in the reality that lay before her. Jaye's bag was gone from the corner, his clothes vanished from the wardrobe, and the pillow she'd taken out for him had been returned to the drawer.

She walked into the bathroom, staring at the shower room. Nothing was left, not a hint of the man she loved so dearly was left in the apartment. It was finally, truly hers and hers alone. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she glared at the pristine sink, the neat bedroom, and the now half empty wardrobe that almost seemed to laugh at her misery as the sound of her breath reverberated in its hollow bosom.

She walked back out to the hall, and out of the corner of her eye, caught a glint of metal. She rushed over to it, picking it off the floor. The light gleamed dully off the small silver key, lying in the arch of the doorway, and she reasoned that he must have locked the door, then slid the key in through the gap. She clutched the small silver object to her chest, the metal cold to the touch, and nearly laughed aloud as the world denied her even the small comfort of a warm key.

She felt them before she realized it was happening, as the small drops of warm liquid fell unabashed onto her fists. As if that were the trigger she needed, she fell to her knees, dropping her head to the marble and spilling the tears she'd been holding back for so long. She screamed into the face reflected there, and flinched, as if seeing someone else in there. But as soon as she blinked, all that was left was her own face, staring back at her. Now she was finally ready to admit what she'd been denying for so long, what she'd tried so hard to delude herself into believing since the moment he'd said goodbye almost a year ago.

She was well and truly alone.

* * *

End of chapter biatches. Anyways, I hope this chapter has let you really see into the emotions of the characters, and let you see that Indigo isn't _quite_ as perfect as she seems to be. I really wanted to try writing something like this, having a seemingly perfect and strong character reveal their flaws, their insecurities, and desires, and how they don't always get what they want, so let me know how you felt it came across and how I can improve. Yes, this chapter is to illustrate to you how shitty Indigo's life is right now, and how hard of a decision this was for Jaye. TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!


	24. Chapter 23

Hey guys, back again with another chapter. For those of you who don't know what A levels are, basically it's like the high school graduation exams. Decides if I get into Uni or not. SO they were important, so writing HAD to take a back seat for that period. Anyways, it's over, but I'll be going into the army next year in January, so I'm gonna have way less time then. Oh well, bad periods, but we'll see how things play out.

Chapter 23

* * *

'Aaaaagh!' Yang kicked at her bedpost, almost toppling the mattress over in the process. She kicked it again, and Blake's bed rocked dangerously, teetering on the edge.

'You know, I DO need somewhere to sleep tonight, so if you don't mind…' Yang jumped as a voice rang out behind her. She whirled around, coming face to face with a pair of bright amber eyes. Blake stared back at the blonde, cocking her head slightly to the side.

'So you're actually going to sleep tonight?' Yang asked, crossing her arms. Blake shrugged, glancing at the bed.

'I'm actually just going to sleep now. No amount of makeup is going to cover eye bags this bad, and I do NOT want eye bags for the dance tonight.' She admitted, smiling at the blonde. Yang stared at her for a minute, before comprehending what she was saying.

'OH BLAKE!' She squealed, throwing her arms around the cat girl. Blake flinched away slightly, struggling against Yang's grasp, but eventually gave up and submitted herself to the cuddling.

'I knew you'd come around.' Yang whispered, and Blake smiled, patting the blonde on the back.

'Well…it's not like I didn't see the sense in it. Guess I was just being too stubborn to admit it.' She pulled the blonde off her, holding her at arm's length. 'Speaking of issues, you want to tell me what's going on?'

Yang crossed her arms, looking away from the dark-haired girl, and Blake narrowed her eyes.

'Yang…' She cautioned, Yang sighed, turning her gaze back to the girl.

'Well…it's a bit of a story, and I think you need to sleep.' Yang reasoned, but Blake shook her head.

'You're not getting out of this, so forget it. You helped me, so I'm going to help you. I won't stand owing anyone favors.' Blake said, smiling. Yang grinned back, and the two shared a moment of silence. Blake wiggled her ears under her bow.

'Well? I'm all ears.'

* * *

'Wow. That sounds…rough.' Blake commented, and Yang punched her pillow.

'I know! Ugh, and the dance is tonight! Why does this keep happening to me?' She complained, dropping her face into the pillow. Blake raised an eyebrow at the fuming girl.

'Uhhh, haven't you realized yet?' She asked, and Yang shot up from the pillow.

'Excuse me?' She said, and Blake held up a hand.

'Okay, your reaction said everything I need to know.' She told the blonde, letting her hand fall to the mattress. 'I don't think it's happening for no reason, and I think you're only angry because you missed it.'

Yang stared at the cat girl, a shocked look on her face, and Blake shrugged, picking at her hair.

'What you did to Jaye was pretty immature you know. We all said that, and I think it's time you accept it too.' Blake told her, and Yang rolled her eyes. 'As for what Indigo did, to be honest, I heard the full story from Ruby and Weiss.'

Yang rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, and Blake shifted closer to her. She turned away, avoiding eye contact, and Blake glared at her, the corners of her mouth dropping into a frown. Blake grabbed her by the cheeks, turning her face towards her, and locked eyes with the blonde girl.

'Look lady, we've met Indigo, and I didn't get the feeling that she's someone to do something without a reason. My guess is that Jaye probably went to her after the fight, and they probably talked about what happened. The fight really was entirely your fault, though he could have defused it.' Blake told her, and Yang pulled her face out of her grasp. 'If Indigo attacked you, that means something happened, and considering what she said AFTER the fight, assuming Ruby recounted it correctly, maybe you should talk to one of them about it, just to clear things up. I mean, it's pretty obvious what "he chose you" implies. Maybe THEY had a fight.'

Yang rolled over onto her side, curling up defensively, and Blake dropped her hand onto Yang's thigh.

'Look, it's a hard pill to swallow. Trust me, I know. But at the very least you ought to clear things up, if not for yourself, at least for the team.' Yang sat up suddenly, and Blake jumped in surprise.

'For the team?! Blake, I'm going to be honest with you, I don't think that Jaye's ever really been a _part_ of this team! I mean yes, he works with us, but it's as if the four of US are a team, and he's just–…working together with us!' She spat, leaning forward and staring Blake in the eye. 'Tell me that's not true.'

The cat girl averted her gaze, staring instead at her hands. Yang's jaw set, and she narrowed her eyes. Blake fiddled awkwardly with her thumbs, and Yang straightened up.

'I knew it. You've felt it too, haven't you? That he's not _really_ a part of us, that we've all just been playing nice with each other!' She declared, dropping down from the bed and whirling to face the girl. Blake stared at her quietly, a strange look in her eyes, but Yang ignored it.

'Yes, I like him. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say that I _might_ be in love with him! But does he really care about us? Someone tell me, because I don't know! And I'm not just saying this because his lover came and tried to kill me! You know it! I know it! Ruby knows it! Even _Weiss_ knows it! And she doesn't even CARE about him!' She yelled, and Blake scrunched up her ears under the ribbon.

'How do we trust someone we don't even know?! I mean yes, he sits with us during lunch, and during class, but what do we know about him? He hasn't told us a thing about himself, and I don't mean what food he likes. Do we even know where he came from?' Blake stared at the blonde girl defiantly, and Yang glared back. The cat girl crossed her arms, and Yang looked down sheepishly.

'I–sorry, I didn't mean to yell, I just–!' Yang stuttered, and Blake turned her back to the blonde girl. Yang kicked at the ground awkwardly, and scratched the back of her head.

'Well…I don't think what you're saying is wrong. But if you really think about it…have we ever really asked?' Yang looked up in surprise, staring at the back of Blake's head. The cat girl sat there stoically, back facing her, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Yang opened her mouth to speak, but Blake cut her off.

'He might not have told us anything, but then again, we never really asked. He always had this sort of…aloofness about him that kind of just made it seem like we _shouldn't_ ask, so we never did.' Blake turned, pushing herself off the bed, dropping to the floor next to Yang. 'But if…if his past really _was_ that bad, then I honestly think that he wouldn't be keen to share it on a whim. But still…I never got the feeling that he was secretive either. I think we just never asked, so he never told.'

Yang opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She simply stood for a moment, mouth agape, staring into Blake's amber eyes. The cat girl observed her for a moment, before turning towards the wardrobe.

'Maybe it's time we asked.' She stated simply, opening the wardrobe door. She paused in the doorframe.

'On another note, I still haven't picked out a dress for the dance…' She trailed off, glancing at the blonde, and Yang shook herself out of her stupor.

'Well leave it to me! I'll have you looking so good, Sun's pants are gonna be on the floor!' She declared cheerily, bouncing over to the raven-haired girl. Blake shot her a death glare at the comment, and Yang laughed nervously.

'Sorry, too much?'

* * *

Here's the end of this chapter. We're gonna have some best friend time in the next one, so stay hyped for it!


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

* * *

At Junior's Bar

* * *

Jaye knocked back a glass of whisky, slapping the shot glass down on the counter. That was his seventh shot already, and Junior looked at him apprehensively.

'You should probably take it easy, it's nearly seven.' He said, and Jaye dropped his head onto the table.

'For once, I agree with you.' He groaned, rapping his head against the mahogany counter. 'Pour me another will you?'

Junior shook his head at the boy, and placed a glass down in front of him. Jay picked it up wordlessly, knocking it back, before realizing that it was water. He glared at the bearded man, and Junior simply ignored him. Jaye sighed, pulling himself off the stool, nearly slipping off the counter as he did so, and slung his swords over his back. Jaye pulled out his wallet, but Junior waved it away.

'It's on the house. Go get your girl back.' Junior told him, wiping off a glass carelessly. Jaye nodded at him silently, making for the door. Junior watched him leave, dropping the glass onto the rack in front of him.

'The blondie's sure as hell worth it.' He mused to himself, swiping Jaye's glass off the counter, and running it under the tap.

* * *

Outside

* * *

Jaye stumbled as he reached his bike, shaking his head. The alcohol would wear off in a while, but since he'd drank fast, it was kicking in all at once. He rubbed his temples, leaning against his bike. He groaned into his palms, letting his spinning head recover.

'Hey.' Jaye looked up at the voice, squinting as his head spun harder at the sudden movement. He barely made out a somewhat orange blur in front of him, and shook his head to clear it.

'You're a bloody mess.' Jaye groaned as the obnoxious voice rang out in front of him, and he slapped a hand into his face.

'Goddammit Kamina, if you're just here to pick on me, then shove off.' He muttered, and the fox boy laughed aloud, punching Jaye in the arm.

'Come on, what kind of welcome is that for the best friend you haven't seen in two years?' He said, grinning, and Jaye shot him a death glare.

'Yeah, someone want to explain WHY I haven't seen him in two years?' He shot back, and Kamina laughed again, annoying Jaye even further. Kamina's face turned serious.

'I was busy.' He reasoned, and Jaye looked at him incredulously.

'You were busy? YOU WERE BUSY?! Well I'm sorry that you're too busy to let your best friend know that you AREN'T DEAD!' Jaye got up from his bike, squaring up to the fox boy. Kamina looked away sheepishly, grinning nervously, and that only served to piss Jaye off even further.

'WE THOUGHT YOU DIED WHEN WE HEARD THAT THE DUST MINE BLEW UP! WHEN WE CHECKED THE BLOODY PLACE, YOU WERE LABELLED AS "DECEASED"! I BOUGHT A FUCKING GRAVE FOR YOU YOU GODFORSAKEN ASSHAT. WE BURIED AN EMPTY COFFIN! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW INDIGO AND I FELT?! DAMIAN ASIDE, WE WERE DEVESTATED! I LEFT THE FACTION BECAUSE OF THAT!' He yelled, and Kamina coughed awkwardly, scratching his ears. He grinned at the fuming boy, and Jaye turned away from him, walking back to his bike. His head was crystal clear at the moment, thanks to the adrenaline from his anger, and he swung his leg over the seat.

'I wanted to come back.' Jaye paused, his hand on the ignition, turning to face the fox boy. Kamina scratched his head sullenly, kicking awkwardly at the dust.

'Two years ago, I was captured by an organization, no idea who. I just so happened to stumble across a deal with Jacques Schnee when it was going down. He'd been dealing with them to illegally get faunus labor at cheap prices, by kidnapping them off the street. I intervened, let my guard down, and got shot. They wanted to kill me, but Schnee decided otherwise. He had me sent to the dust mines along with the rest of the faunus.' He explained, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'I know that you idiot. We were tracking you down after you disappeared. The trail went cold for _months_ , and when we finally tracked you to that labor camp nearly a year later, we found out there was an explosion in the mine, and YOU were listed as dead!' Jaye cut in, and Kamina held up a hand.

'I caused the explosion in the dust mine. I left pieces of my fur and uniform there, along with my half-destroyed identification tag to make it seem like I was dead. I needed to in order to operate in secret, so that no one would realize that it was a _slave_ who freed the other slaves.' He explained, and Jaye sat up quietly, taking his hand off the ignition.

'If they realized that a slave broke out the other slaves, then they would increase watch inside the labor camps, which meant more beatings, harsher treatment, and more patrols. All to pacify them to ensure nothing like that would happen, and I couldn't risk that.' He reasoned, crossing his arms. 'If they thought the sabotage came from outside, then they'd increase patrols OUTSIDE the camps to prevent intrusion. It made things easier when I broke in, since I basically only had to worry about getting inside.'

Jaye looked at the fox boy quietly, and Kamina grinned back at him, the same shit-eating grin that Jaye had seen so often, and he looked away, returning his gaze to his bike's dashboard.

'Thanks to that, it meant that I couldn't quite risk getting caught on cameras, and that dust mine I was sent to was miles away from here. It made journeying back quite difficult. Not to mention I stopped a whole bunch of times to destroy other labor camps.' He said, and Jaye sighed, shaking his head.

'If you'd told us, we would have helped you.' He said, and Kamina shook his head, staring sullenly at the dark-haired boy.

'Maybe you would've, but would the Faction really let you? A single raid could take up to a month of planning, and as far as I remember, it was already hard enough to get a week off in that place!' He said, and for once Jaye had no argument. He was right, completely right. Faking his death made coming back to a city like Vale, where there are cameras everywhere, not to mention a strong Schnee Dust Company presence, in the early stages when his death was a fresh page in their record books, very risky for him. If he'd waited, which he had, then coming back wouldn't have been a problem anymore, since his death would have been old news. Getting caught on camera wouldn't matter since no one was keeping an eye out for him. They'd be too focused on catching the masked man destroying their camps to bother about a slave back from the dead. Jaye sighed again.

'For once, I don't actually have an argument for you. I guess you actually use your head every once in a while.' He said, and Kamina's face darkened slightly.

'In those camps, you've only got your head. If you don't use it, you wind up dead. Or worse.' He muttered, and Jaye looked at him quizzically.

'Or worse? Like what?' He asked, and Kamina shrugged.

'I dunno. Just thought it would be a cool line to say.' He admitted, flashing that same shit-eating grin, and Jaye suddenly wanted to punch him again.

'Well in that case, I want back the money I spent on your funeral. It was almost 14000 credits you know.' He told the fox boy, and Kamina grinned wider.

'Whaaaat? That little? That's like an eighth of a job. I thought I was worth more than that.' He jested, placing a hand over his heart, a look of mock horror plastered on his face. Jaye rolled his eyes, kicking his bike into gear.

'Not to me you're not. Now if you're done, I have a dance to catch.' He said, revving the engine. Kamina let his hand fall to his side, looking quietly at Jaye.

'You mean the one at Beacon?' He asked, and Jaye stiffened slightly. He froze for a moment, his hand pausing on the accelerator.

'Yeah, why?' He asked, and Kamina's face fell.

'So it's true then. That thing with that blondie, Yang?' He asked, and Jaye glanced at him. The fox boy looked at him quietly, a complicated look on his face, and Jaye couldn't read it.

'What about Indigo?' He asked, and Jaye shrugged non-committally.

'We talked about it.' He said shortly, and Kamina's facial expression turned pained. He watched the fox boy quietly, as neither party said anything. After a short while, Kamina scratched his ears.

'She seemed pretty broken up earlier.'

'You saw here?'

'Yeah, that's why I came to find you.' He admitted, grinning sadly at his best friend. Jaye looked away, avoiding eye contact.

'I assume she told you why we decided to end it? I've made my decision. Besides, even if I hadn't, it was made for me.' He spoke quickly, nearly tripping over his words as he did, and Kamina's ears drooped.

'Dude, you're in denial. I supported both of you from the start. You guys were like… _destiny_ man! You'll never find someone better for you than her. You know it too!' Kamina took a few tentative steps towards Jaye. 'You could still be together! It doesn't have to be this way just because you left!'

Jaye revved his bike into gear wordlessly, turning to the road. He blinked as an orange flash of light darted in front of him, and Kamina stood, blocking his way.

'Move.' He spat shortly, and Kamina grimaced, shaking his head. Jaye flashed a shard of ice at him, and Kamina punched through it easily, bits and pieces scattering across the ground. Jaye's eyes narrowed, and his hand creeped to his sword.

'Don't do that. We both know you're not the best fighter when you're half-drunk, and I doubt I'm _that_ much of a pushover.' Kamina warned, extending a claw. Jaye made a sound of frustration, dropping his hand to the throttle. He drew a foot up onto the seat, hugging it to his chest, and Kamina walked to him slowly, stopping as Jaye spoke.

'Look man, you weren't there. You were dead. Okay? You. Were. Dead.' He spat, staring the fox boy in the eyes. 'Think about what that meant for us.'

Kamina opened his mouth slightly, his breath catching in his throat, and Jaye rubbed a hand across his eyes, speaking rapidly.

'You were everything to us, you know that? You were what held us all together. Back when Indigo and I were still kind of on the ropes with each other, what with my _fantastic_ social skills, your brashness and lack of brains set the path for us to talk.' He said, jabbing a finger at the faunus. 'We got closer thanks to you. You drove conversations when there was nothing to talk about. Even when Damian came in, God forbid how he is now, you bridged the gap between us! We all became friends thanks to you, we became a _team_ because of you. You were the center! You were all that held us together.'

Jaye pushed himself off the bike, pacing angrily, kicking at the dirt. For once, Kamina had nothing to say, and quietly watched his best friend.

'When you died, everything fell apart.' Jaye stared sullenly at the alley wall, the graffiti and dirt coating it, and Kamina rubbed his arm awkwardly.

'Damian was the first to leave. We were so broken up over it, that once we came back with the results, he actually jumped continents. He ditched Vale, went to God knows where, and in the end, we all sort of…drifted. I don't know if it was because he actually cared about you, or if he just needed the excuse, but either way, he left. Once that happened, half the team was gone, and Indigo and I only had each other. That's when it all ended.' Jaye pulled a small necklace out of his shirt, staring at it quietly. It was a small silver locket, with a purple Orchid flower emblazoned on it. Kamina wordlessly pulled an identical locket out of his vest.

'It meant the end of _us_ too. Your death drove me to leave the Faction. I couldn't bear to live another day in the place that we knew. I had to change things, I needed things to be different.' Jaye muttered, clenching the pendant in his fist. 'Indigo and I…we were a constant reminder of the life I left behind. Of the life _you lived_. The life that _took you from us_. I couldn't take that.'

Jaye dropped the locket back into his shirt, and Kamina shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly, clearing his throat.

'Wow man, didn't know I mattered to you that much.' He grinned, and Jaye scoffed at the fox boy's stupid face. 'But you know, I'm alive? Remember that? That means everything you just said has been rendered void! The gang's back together!'

Kamina flashed over to Jaye, gripping his friend by the shoulders. Jaye glared at the familiar grin plastered across the fox boy's face.

'You two are supposed to be back together, understand? That'll put everything back into place!' Kamina waggled a finger in Jaye's face, grinning even wider, and Jaye sighed in frustration.

Jaye swatted the hand out of his face, turning away from the faunus boy and swinging his legs back over his bike. This was the third time he'd done that, and he was dead set on leaving.

'No. We made our choices. Indigo and I have made our choices. We're not team RHKD anymore, these are the lives we've chosen to live. We can't just…go back to being who we were, you can't just shake something like that off because someone's back from the dead. We can't take back the things we've done, the things we've said. It doesn't work that way. It changed us, you see? Bonds like ours…once they're broken they can't be unbroken. So, we're going to live our lives. Whether you're in it or not.' Jaye declared. He turned the key in the ignition, and the engine revved to life. He turned back to face the fox boy.

'I'll never forget you, or who you are to me. I'll always carry RHKD with me, from now till the day I die.' He laid a hand over his chest, feeling the slight bump of the silver locket against his skin. 'But we're just a locket and a faded photograph. That's what we are now. That's how we'll stay.'

Jaye kicked his bike into gear, speeding out of the alleyway. This time, there was no orange flash, no shit-eating grin, and no furry ears to block his way, and he sped back down towards Beacon.

Hurtling down a highway, Jaye impulsively pulled the locket out of his shirt again, flicking it open. Inside the silver casing, glued to the back, sat a small, faded photograph. In it, Jaye, Indigo, Kamina, and Damian stood together, smiling at the camera. Kamina sat right in the center on Damian's shoulders, his usual shit-eating grin they'd come to love glaring out for all to see, arms looped over Jaye and Indigo on either side of him. Jaye and Indigo stood hand in hand, laughing at the grinning faunus. Damian sat right at the front, a look of mild annoyance cresting his sharp features as he tried to shove Kamina's legs off him. Jaye ran a thumb over the picture, staring sullenly at the happy smile that suddenly seemed so foreign to him. He noticed the tip of the CCT loom over the distance, Beacon academy coming slowly into view, and flicked the locket shut, stuffing it back into his shirt.

Back in the alleyway, Kamina stood, clutching the locket to his chest as the cold wind blew past him, stinging his cheeks and ruffled his fur. His furry ears had wilted, drooping down the sides of his head. An orange light flashed, and the boy vanished from the alley, leaving behind nothing but a strand of orange fur, and a few melting shards of ice.

* * *

Hope ya'll enjoyed the "coming clean" chapters, where we delve into the characters of Kamina, Jaye, and Indigo. I enjoyed writing it, and I tried to be as consistent as possible. But pls forgive if there are any mistakes.


	26. Chapter 25

Hey guys so, I realized my timeline was screwed up, and I hadn't been meticulous enough with my writing, so I'm going to clarify something. JAYE IS 20, BUT HIS BIRTHDAY HASN'T PASSED YET, SO HE'S STILL 19. INDIGO IS 23, BUT BIRTHDAY HASN'T PASSED YET, SO STILL 22. KAMINA IS 19, BUT BIRTHDAY HASN'T PASSED YET, SO STILL 18.

Chapter 25

* * *

'Oh, you look beautiful!' Yang bounced excitedly in her heels. Ruby wobbled precariously into the ballroom, scratching the back of her head. She was dressed in a simple red and black dress, black stockings, and high heels for once. She stuck her arms out to either side, attempting in vain to balance in her shoes.

'Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?' She groaned, wobbling over to Yang, who giggled at the raven-haired girl. Yang was dressed simply in a sleeveless, short white dress that ended just above the knee. Ruby glanced back at the door silently, and Yang's face turned concerned.

'Ruby? Is something wrong?' She called, and the girl turned back to face her. Ruby smiled at her older sister, shaking her head.

'Nope! Come on, let's go.'

* * *

Outside

* * *

'Stupid, dumb, neck trap.' Sun groaned, yanking at his tie. The faunus boy was dressed in a simple black button-up shirt, with his collar popped up, and had strangely enough tied his tie inside his shirt, rather than around the collar.

'I knew you'd look better in a tie.' Sun froze as a voice called our from behind him, and he turned, wide-eyed, to face it. Blake stood behind him, immaculately dressed in a dark blue and black dress. Sun stared, mouth slightly agape, at the sight, and was lost for words. Blake took him by the arm silently, leading him to the dance hall.

'So... does this mean we're going together?' The faunus boy asked, grinning hopefully at the raven-haired beauty on his arm. Blake smiled at him affectionately.

'Technically.' She mused 'But my first dance is spoken for.'

* * *

Jaye pulled into Beacon, stopping in the garage. He flinched slightly at the burst of yellow and orange that met his eyes, as the only other vehicle in the compound was Yang's bike. He stared at it quietly, shutting off his engine, and sighed at the dingy roof.

'What am I doing?' He muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. The alcohol had worn off during the ride, and he was fully sober at the moment. Therefore, he was now fully conscious of the arduous task ahead of him, and was silently punching himself for letting it happen in the first place.

He slipped into the elevator quietly, and banged his head against the wall on his way up. He groaned in frustration as he attempted to properly map out the way he was going to apologize to Yang and the others, and how to settle the issue. The fact that he wasn't totally in the wrong only made matters harder to deal with. Running a hand down his face, Jaye stared glumly at himself in the mirrored walls of the elevator. He punched it, thankfully not breaking it, and shuffled out the doors when they opened. He kicked their dorm room door open, to find it empty. No shit.

Jaye sighed in frustration and relief, chucking his bag into the corner and dropping across the bed. He stared up at the ceiling, cursing under his breath, and wondered if he even had a suit amongst his stuff to use. He rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.

* * *

'I told you she would come.' Yang mused, and Weiss nodded. The three girls of team RRWBY were watching Blake waltz with Sun on the dance floor, the monkey boy actually proving to be quite a good dancer despite appearances.

'Mission accomplished.' Weiss declared, and Ruby turned hopefully to Yang.

'So…what do we do now?' She asked, and the two girls shrugged, making their way off.

'Just have fun!' The blonde called back at her, and Ruby panicked as Yang walked away.

'Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?' She called, and groaned as the two girls ignored her. She waddled dejectedly on the spot.

'Stupid lady stilts.' She whined, and started as a voice rang out from behind her.

'Not enjoying yourself?' Ruby turned to face their white-haired headmaster as he approached her quietly. He smiled at her, and Ruby laughed nervously.

'Oh no! Everything's fine. I'm just not much of a dansey, pansey...dancey girl.' She admitted, and Ozpin tilted his head slightly towards her.

'Well, you can't spend your entire life on the battlefield.' He told the raven-haired girl, a knowing look on his face. 'Even if you may want to.'

'Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately.' Ruby replied, a look of annoyance cresting her small features. Ozpin watched the girl quietly, raising an eyebrow, and Ruby continued to glare at the dancers in front of her. He cleared his throat pointedly.

'If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked.' Ozpin mused, watching the pairs spin on the dance floor. 'Although, one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot.'

'Or a twisted ankle.' Ruby muttered, dropping her gaze to the floor, and Ozpin smiled gently at her.

'It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds.' He justified to the girl, his gaze falling to the two faunus on the dance floor waltzing together. 'But it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget.'

Ruby let her gaze fall back to her friends, scattered around the ballroom. She smiled quietly, taking in the meaning of the words, and smiled wider. She glanced over as the door opened, and her face fell slightly as the doors opened to reveal Mercury and Emerald, walking together into the hall. Ruby turned her gaze back to the ballroom, and sighed as the black-haired boy that was the source of their troubles still remained nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Jaye coughed, brushing powder off his face. He'd managed to dig out an old suit he'd bought a few years prior that thankfully still fit (the pants were a little tight), and tried his best to clean off and iron it. He held the items up critically; there were a few little issues here and there, especially an obnoxious stain on the collar that he hoped no one would notice. He slipped on the blazer, buttoning it, and made his way down to ballroom.

He pushed the doors open, faltering slightly as he did so. As the doors swung open, Yang glanced up from her position at the entry counter. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened in recognition. Jaye swallowed nervously, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. He stepped forward slowly, descending the steps to her, his heart pounding with every step he took. Yang blinked a few times, shaking herself out of her stupor, and busied herself scrolling down the list. She stopped at his name on the sheet, and flinched slightly as she felt a hand on her arm. Yang glanced up, her eyes meeting Jaye's, and for a moment time stood still. Yang stopped, mouth slightly agape, and Jaye stared back at her nervously. He let his hand trail down her arm, taking her hand in his.

'Would you uh…like to dance?' He asked, smiling sheepishly. Yang stared at him for a moment longer, and wordless checked his name off the list. She turned silently, smiling gently at him, and looped her arm through his. Jaye grinned at the blonde, internally sighing with relief, and the pair made their way to the dance floor. They started a slow waltz, spinning in time to the music, and Jaye pulled the nervous girl closer to him.

'Hey…' he breathed, and Yang stared at his collar.

'Hey to you too.' She whispered, focusing on a spot on his collar where a little splotch of powder remained. She wiped it away with a finger, letting her hand fall back onto his shoulder. They waltzed in silence for a few moments, awkwardly glancing up at each other, occasionally meeting eyes.

'I haven't forgiven you, you know.' Yang muttered, averting her gaze. Jaye sighed, shaking his head.

'Well, I'm not apologizing.' He declared, and Yang shot him a glare. Jaye shrugged non-committally, ignoring the glare, and she sighed in frustration.

'We're never going to get past this, are we?' She mused, and Jaye chuckled, locking eyes with her.

'No, we are not.' He grinned at her, and Yang rolled her eyes. They continued in silence for a little while longer, still stealing glances at each other. Yang finally locked eyes with Jaye, smiling brightly at him.

'I guess in the end we haven't really made up yet huh?' She asked, and Jaye shrugged.

'I guess we haven't…but at the same time we kind of have?' He stared up at the ceiling inquisitively, and Yang giggled at his look of deep thought. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into an embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. She snuggled into his neck, and Jaye smirked, pressing her close to him.

'We're both just too stubborn, aren't we?' She breathed, and Jaye chuckled.

'Tell me about it.' He laughed, swaying to the music. They remained interlocked till the song ended, content just to share in each other's company. When the song changed, Jaye took Yang by the hand, leading her off the dance floor. They stopped by the punch bowl where Jaune and Ruby stood, awkwardly avoiding the crowd.

'Jaye!' Ruby squealed, throwing her arms up, and Jaune waved awkwardly as they approached.

'Hey Ruby. Hey Jaune.' Jaye greeted, grabbing a cup. Yang smiled toothily at her little sister, seizing her in a crushing embrace. Ruby squeaked in annoyance as the air was forced out of her.

'Owwwwww…what was that for?' She coughed, and Yang giggled into her hair.

'Nothing~!' She sang, bouncing after Jaye as he made his way out to the balcony. Ruby rubbed her chest breathlessly, staring after the pair as they made their way out.

'Well, at least they made up I guess.' She grumbled, straightening up. Jaune sighed, glancing at Weiss, and Ruby returned her attention to the dejected blond.

* * *

'So she beat you up?' Jaye asked, and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender as Yang shot him a death glare.

'She didn't beat me up. I just didn't want to fight her, that's all.' Yang insisted, pouting, and Jaye chuckled aloud at the girl. Yang kicked him in the shin, and he stifled his laughter, rubbing the bruised spot. Yang gazed out over the horizon, resting her chin on the back of her hand. She glanced sideways at Jaye, who was watching her quietly.

'Quit staring, creep.' She jabbed, and Jaye smiled.

'Guilty as charged. Sorry, couldn't help it. You look beautiful in a dress.' He complimented, stepping closer to her. Yang smiled inwardly, eyeing him in turn.

'Thanks. You're not too bad yourself.' She replied, and Jaye grinned at her.

'I know right? Aren't I fetching?' He boasted, tugging his collar down and assuming a supermodel pose. Yang rolled her eyes, punching him in the arm.

'Hey, I only said you didn't look too bad. Never said you looked good.' She shot back, laughing at the look of mock horror spreading across his face. She stepped closer to him, stopping an inch away from his face. Jaye grinned back at her, the same self-assured, slightly cocky smile she'd come to love. She took his hand in hers, and he cupped her face gently. She placed a hand over his, pressing it into her cheek, snuggling into it. She gazed at him, lips parting slightly, and Jaye closed the gap between them. He pressed his lips to hers, gently and a little hesitant, for a long moment. They broke apart for air, her breath tickling his lips, and he kissed her again. Yang pulled away, her eyes fluttering open.

'Took you long enough.' She whispered, touching her forehead to his. Jaye chuckled gently, letting his hand fall to her waist, and Yang pulled him into her chest.

'Well…it took a while to sort things out. Indigo and I we…we talked about it.' He reasoned, and Yang shook her head.

'Have you really?' She asked, and Jaye looked at her, confused.

'What do you mean? We sorted it out.' He cocked his head to the side, and Yang turned away from him, leaning over the balcony rail.

'Do you love me?' She asked after a moment, and Jaye started slightly, his breath catching in his throat.

'Of course I–' He began, but Yang cut him off.

'I mean do you really love me?' She stood up straight, squaring up to him. 'I can tell how strongly you feel about me. But is that feeling love for me, or your desire to separate yourself from your demons?'

Jaye opened his mouth slightly, but no sound came out. He froze, staring at the blonde, and he raised a hand to her slowly. He shut his mouth, letting his hand fall back down.

'I don't know.' He admitted, staring at his feet. Yang watched him silently, tears welling up in her eyes, and Jaye turned to the balcony, gripping it tightly.

'I–it's complicated. I can't say I don't love you, neither can I say I don't love Indigo. But at the same time, it's thanks to our situation that we chose not to be together. I can't say that it's because I love you more therefore I chose you, because I don't know how I'd feel if things were different. If things had never become as twisted as they are, if our lives had never been jolted out of place, this may never have happened.' Jaye ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and Yang gripped her arm tightly.

'Kamina's death ripped our lives apart. It caused so many things to change, it changed _me_ so much. At the end of it, you can't just tape it all back together and call it perfect again. That puts a gap between us, one that we can't bridge just because Kamina's piece was put back.' He spoke quickly, nearly tripping over his words, and Yang placed a hand on his shoulder.

'Then, wouldn't it make more sense for you all to work it out together?' Jaye stared at the blonde girl sullenly, and Yang smiled at him brightly, but a little sadly.

'You guys are back together. Yes, there's a piece missing, but in the end, it's better than what it was before. If they mattered that much to you, then you should go back to them.' She reasoned, letting her hand fall from his shoulder. Jaye turned away from her, staring out at the dormitories across them. He shook his head, straightening up in determination.

'No. We made our choices. If I can't even hold true to what I decided, then there's no point to it.' He declared, locking eyes with Yang. Yang gazed back at him, mystified, and Jaye balled his hands into fists.

'That world we came from? It takes things from you. Things you can never get back. Some things I never even _had_ in the first place. But here? This is a place where I can experience what it's like to just _live_. Here, I don't fight to survive; I fight to protect the ones I care about. I never want to go back to where we were, no matter how precious those people are to me. Indigo, Kamina, Damian, they've decided to stay in that bloody, pain-filled world. I don't want to live there anymore.' He took Yang by the hand, pulling her closer to him.

'In the end, Indigo chose to stay there. As much as I love her, and as much as we love each other, we're taking two different paths in our lives. Should she ever come over, maybe things could be different. But odds are that she won't, and I won't abandon you over a simple maybe.' He squeezed her hand tighter, and Yang smiled gently at him, resting her hand on his chest.

'I'm happy to hear that. But at the same time, it pisses me off to know that that's the only reason you chose me over her.' She told him, waggling a finger in his face. Jaye chuckled, shaking his head.

'I guess we just haven't had enough time together. I'm not sure how I feel about everything just yet, but I want to work this out. Together, I mean. If you're alright with that then…' He trailed off, glancing at her hopefully. Yang laughed aloud, throwing her head back, her blond hair swaying in the gently breeze. She kissed him gently, wrapping her arms around his waist and locked him in a tight embrace.

'Gladly!' She replied, jubilant, her face truly lighting up for the first time that night. Taking him by the hand, she led Jaye back inside, laughing all the way. She paused in the doorway, turning back to face him.

'But that means you're going to have to tell us, ALL of us, everything that happened to you.' She declared, and Jaye scratched the back of his head nervously.

'Well…I guess so. It's not like I was really hiding it anyway, it's just you never asked, so I never said.' He let his hand fall back to his side, and Yang grinned widely at him. He sighed in defeat, grinning back.

'Is that so?' A haughty voice called out from behind him, and Jaye started, turning to face the voice. The white-haired heiress stood, hands on her hips, behind him, flanked by the two other members of his team. Ruby grinned widely at him, her eyes nearly sparkling with jubilance, while Blake stood cross-armed, eyebrow raised, watching him. Jaye sighed, shaking his heads.

'Well, time to spill my guts out for the fourth time today. I swear, any more of this and I actually _will_ die.'

* * *

Across From Them On The Dormitory Rooftops

* * *

Indigo sat quietly, watching the group on the balcony. She fished a small silver locket out of her cloak, with a purple orchid flower on it, and she clenched it in her fist. She glanced over her shoulder as an orange fox boy approached her from behind.

'You doing okay?' Kamina asked, plopping down next to her. Indigo stared at the pendant wordlessly, and Kamina scratched his ears awkwardly.

'Yeah…stupid question. Sorry.' He apologized, and Indigo shook her head.

'No–no…it's alright. I just need some time, that's all.' She dropped the locket back into her cloak, and Kamina dropped a hand over her shoulders.

'Well…I know you guys made your choice, but aren't you still having regrets over it?' He asked, and Indigo rubbed her eyes. She turned back to the balcony, but it was now empty, with no hint of the dark-haired boy in sight. She turned her gaze back to her feet, and hugged her knees to her chest.

'Sort of…but it's been made. He chose to live that life, and I chose to stay where I am. Those choices were what ended it. I promised myself I wouldn't regret…but–!' Indigo choked, covering her mouth with her hands, and Kamina cleared his throat loudly.

'Well, Jaye's the kind of guy who knows what he wants. And if this is what he wants…then you know he wouldn't give it up for the world.' He reasoned, staring up at the sky. Three stars hung quietly, hovering close to each other. One star hung just a little away from the other two, inching ever so slightly closer to a cluster of stars that bundled together in a beautiful huddle, lighting up the sky above the academy. Kamina sighed, closing his eyes as Indigo spoke.

'Yeah, you're right. That's why I love him in the first place. I just need some time to accept everything.' Indigo smiled sadly at her hands. Her slim, small, blood-stained hands.

'I envy him you know, for being able to find the courage to escape that world, without knowing that there would be a place for you to go if you did.' She whispered, turning her gaze upwards to the stars. 'I couldn't do it. I still can't. Maybe one day I will. But for now, I'll just be happy for him from here. From this distance.'

Kamina observed her quietly, and Indigo smiled at him. He pulled her into an embrace, pressing her face into his chest as she cried gently. Kamina turned back to the sky, watching the stars. He glanced again, and as he did, the little star in the middle seemed to move ever so slightly back towards the pair. He blinked, and suddenly he wasn't sure, but he smiled up at it anyway, gently stroking the auburn-hair in his arms as she cried her heart to pieces.

* * *

Hope ya'll enjoyed this. The chapter after next is going to be the reveal of team RHKD's backstory, don't worry I summed it up pretty short, and hopefully you can have a better understanding of what Jaye's life has been like before now. The next chapter will delve a little into Pyrrha and Jaye's relationship. I always thought it would be interesting to have a similar character to Pyrrha, someone who is just as skilled and powerful, but comes from a completely different life and background. I want to explore the distinction between nature and nurture a bit, and show how events shape a person, rather than how they were born.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

BTW guys I have decided to postpone Jaye's backstory chapter until their fieldtrip to mount Glenn, since it's so much nicer of a setting to have it than the dormitory room.

* * *

'Hey Pyrrha.' The scraggly blond greeted, stepping through the double oak doors. The red-haired beauty turned to face him, her long locks swaying in the gentle breeze.

'Hello Jaune.' She replied stiffly, and he stepped closer to her tentatively. He raised his arms in an awkward gesture.

'You okay? I haven't seen you tonight.' He questioned, and Pyrrha turned away from briskly.

'Arrived late, I'm afraid.'

'…Well uh, you look really nice.'

'Thank you.'

'Your, uh, date isn't going to beat me up for saying that, is he?'

'I think you're safe for tonight.'

The two stood awkwardly by the balcony rail, Pyrrha gazing dejectedly at the fountain across her. Jaune cleared his throat nervously.

'So, where is the guy?' He asked, rubbing his hands together and smiling at her. Pyrrha glanced up at the sky, closing her eyes for a moment, before turning stoically to the dense blond.

'There is no guy.' She said, her voice cracking slightly, and Jaune froze in disbelief. Pyrrha glanced down at her shoes, her stoic expression broken, and a sad smile crested her pearly white features.

'Wh-what?' He stuttered, and Pyrrha shook her head.

'Nobody asked me.' She admitted, swinging her hands dejectedly. Jaune shuffled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his hand.

'But that's…you're Pyrrha Nikos!' He choked out disbelievingly, gesturing emphatically at her. 'How could nobody ask you?'

The red-haired girl turned away from him, slightly peeved, facing out over the balcony once more. She placed her hands on the railing, heaving a sigh.

'I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities. I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise.' She stated flatly, glancing back over her shoulder at the boy. Jaune stood quietly, rubbing his arm. 'But when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place.'

She turned back to the blond, and Jaune sucked in a breath as he realized that she was crying. Tears welled in her vivid-green eyes, and Jaune reached a hand out to her. She stepped back out of his reach quietly, hugging her arm to her chest.

'Everyone assumes I'm too good for them; that I'm on a level they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people.' She spat, and Jaune noticed her grip tighten on her arm. He let his hand fall to his side, and Pyrrha raised her head, locking eyes with him.

'That's what I like about you.' She declared, waving a hand at the boy. 'When we met, you didn't even know my _name_. You treated me just like anyone else. And thanks to you, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime.'

Pyrrha gazed longingly at the boy, tears spilling down the corner of her eye. Jaune' breath caught in his throat as he mutedly watched her. Pyrrha turned away silently, facing the heavy, oppressive oak doors.

'I guess…you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with.' She murmured, starting forward towards the doors. 'Someone who just saw me for me.'

Jaune stared blankly at the rail as she walked away, passing between the looming doors. He shook himself out of his stupor, turning to face the girl.

'Uh–wait!' He started as he came face to face with a swirl of blue hair instead. He stared past the blue-haired boy, Neptune, watching as Pyrrha disappeared around the corner.

'Hey…uh…Jaune, right?'

* * *

Pyrrha walked silently down the hall, rubbing her eyes. She narrowed her eyes as she spotted someone leaning nonchalantly against the wall. As she got closer, she realized it was Jaye, tapping on his scroll with a slight smirk on his face. She paused as she reached him. The position he was in was close enough for him to have heard everything they'd said from the balcony; just far enough from the main hall that the music wouldn't have masked their voices.

'You should probably head in and touch up, your mascara's running a little.' Jaye commented, gesturing offhandedly at the women's bathroom across from him. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, and Jaye smirked at her.

'You were listening, weren't you?' She asked quietly, and Jaye held up his hands in an "I don't know" gesture.

'Wasn't my fault you guys were talking so loud. I was just standing here minding my own business.' He said, shrugging, and Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. Jaye let his hand fall to his belt loop, returning to his scroll. His face turned serious.

'Think he'll realize?' He asked, not looking up from the screen. Pyrrha patted at her skirt silently, dusting off the impeccably clean surface.

'I didn't think you'd be bothered with something like this.'

'What makes you think I am?'

'You asked the question.'

'Just making conversation. Also it amuses me, seeing you two try so hard without ever understanding each other.'

'So this is all a game to you?'

'Pretty much.'

'What are you doing here anyway?'

'Can't a man stand where he wants to?'

'In front of the women's bathroom?' Pyrrha turned exasperatedly away from the condescending boy. She glanced at the bathroom door quietly, and Jaye cleared his throat.

'Yang's in there. I'm waiting for her.' He clarified, and Pyrrha turned back to him. She glared at him, before noticing the sympathetic look in his eyes. She bit her lip, and Jaye smiled reassuringly at her. She stepped closer to him, rubbing her arm.

'You understand, don't you?' She murmured, and Jaye cocked his head to the side inquisitively. Pyrrha breathed deeply, locking eyes with him, and Jaye stared back quietly.

'You understand what it's like, don't you? To be different? With all your skills and power, you _must_ feel the same.' She grasped her skirt in her fists, bunching them up. 'You and me? We're isolated form everyone else. Even if we build relationships, _friendships_ , no one else will truly understand us.'

Jaye looked away from the red-haired girl, returning his attention to his scroll. He went dangerously quiet, continuing to poke through the device. Pyrrha watched him quietly, and Jaye glanced back at her.

'You're going to wrinkle your dress you know.' He said flatly, and Pyrrha clenched her fists tighter, nearly tearing it. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she glared at the jaded boy silently.

'You understand, don't you?' She whispered, and Jaye stared at her incredulously, locking his scroll and letting his hand fall to his side. He pushed himself off the wall, approaching the girl, and Pyrrha backed away hesitantly.

'No. I don't' He muttered, his voice low, squaring up to her. Pyrrha stared at him, confused, and Jaye shoved his face into hers.

'I couldn't possibly understand what it's like to be in your shoes. I might be even more powerful than you are, but I could never understand you either.' He spat, and Pyrrha flinched away from him slightly. Jaye glared at her, his face contorting with anger, and Pyrrha suddenly found her shoes extremely interesting.

'Unlike you, I was never blessed; as far as I know, life has had it in for me ever since I was born.' He balled his hands into fists, nearly crushing his scroll. 'Do I have talent? Yeah. Do I have skill? Yeah. Was I born under good circumstances? Yeah. We started out the same. The difference between us? You got to keep it.'

Jaye turned away from her abruptly, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself. 'Unlike you, my life was turned inside out when I was young. Since then, I've had to fight, slog and bleed just to live and achieve like I have. You've been surrounded by love and praise, I've been surrounded by blood and pain. You and I can never understand each other.'

Pyrrha watched the boy quietly, mouth slightly agape, and Jaye punched the wall. He leaned against the deep red wallpaper, his shoes scuffing against the carpet, and breathed. He straightened up quickly, reigning in his anger, and Pyrrha finally let her dress go. Jaye turned back to her, rubbing his bruised knuckles.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to get angry.' He apologized, and Pyrrha shook her head silently. Jaye approached her, letting his hands fall to his sides.

'Either way, none of this ought to matter.' He said, and Pyrrha glanced at him. Jaye smiled reassuringly at her, placing his scroll back into his pocket. 'The truth is, you don't need people to understand you. You just need them to accept you. And as far as I can tell, they already have.'

Jaye turned away from her, just as Yang stepped out of the bathroom. She grinned widely at the boy, and waved at Pyrrha as she bounced over to them.

'Hey Pyrrha! You look beautiful!' She complimented, putting an arm around Jaye. Jaye responded in kind, squeezing the blonde around the waist, and Yang giggled.

'Stop it you. Enjoy the party Pyrrha! Oh, and don't forget that assignment we have on Monday!' Yang called as they left, waving at the red-haired girl over her shoulder. Pyrrha waved quietly, watching them leave. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see Ren and Nora standing behind her.

'Why the long face? This is a PARTY PYRRHA!' The pink-clad girl yelled, pumping a fist into the air. Ren on the other hand, took a much milder, and more observant approach, and asked Pyrrha how she was doing.

'I'm fine.' She replied, smiling at her concerned teammate. 'Just a little tired.'

Ren raised an eyebrow, but Pyrrha shook her head, smiling.

'It's nothing, Ren. I'm fine.' She smiled at her two teammates. She glanced across their concerned faces, and her face genuinely lit up for the first time that night. 'As long as I'm with you guys, I'm more than fine. Come on, let's go back to the ballroom.'

* * *

'So what'd you talk about?' Jaye shrugged as the two made their way back to the ballroom. Yang tugged on his arm insistently, and he chuckled.

'Nothing much. Just some fundamental issues about human understanding and acceptance.' He replied, and grinned at the confused and annoyed look Yang gave him. The two stopped at the balcony overlooking the dance floor, where Ruby already stood watching the dancers with a satisfied smile on her face.

'You know, I think we really needed this.' Yang declared, and Ruby nodded vigorously.

'Yeah, and you did a great job planning it too.' Ruby told the blonde, and Yang looped an arm over her neck.

'Awww, thanks!' She grinned, and Ruby wiggled her arms rapidly, trying to escape. 'It wasn't all me though, Weiss did a lot too.'

The three teammates grinned at each other, sharing a brief moment of peace. Yang glanced over at Jaye, and he squeezed her hand gently.

'Tomorrow it's back to work.' Yang sighed gently, gazing down at the dancers as they twirled. Jaye groaned audibly at the thought, and dropped his head onto the railing. Yang giggled at the sullen boy, running her fingers through his hair.

'And you're going to have to account for the three days' worth of lessons you skipped.' Ruby reminded, shoving a finger into his face. Jaye's face fell as he thought of all the explaining he was going to have to do, and he slapped his head into the banister again.

'Screw that. Just kill me now.' He groaned, and Ruby laughed. She returned her gaze to the dance floor, watching them twirl dreamily.

'Well, I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us.' She declared, peering curiously at the floor as laughter emanated from amongst the crowd. Her face turned to a look of mild surprise as she located the source of the laughter. 'Except for that.'

* * *

Jaune pushed his way through the crowd of laughing people slowly, finally coming to a stop behind Pyrrha. The red-haired, gold-crowned girl turned to face him, a look of shock cresting her features.

'Jaune–?' She murmured, a smile creeping onto her face. Jaune stood, decked out in a gorgeous white dress with a blue sash tied into a ribbon around the waist, in the middle of the ballroom. He grinned widely at her, and the red-haired girl could do nothing but stare.

'Eh, a promise is a promise' He declared, shrugging. Pyrrha stared at him for a moment, before slowly beginning to giggle. She placed a hand over her mouth as peals of laughter poured out of her with increasing intensity.

'Jaune–! You didn't _have_ to!' She choked out, and Jaune rolled his eyes.

'Hey, an Arc never goes back on his word.' He declared, holding out a hand to her. 'Now, do you want to stand there and laugh at me, or do you want to dance?'

'I would _love_ to dance!'

* * *

'So what made you change your mind?' Neptune pulled his eyes away from the scene unfolding on the dance floor, turning to the heiress sitting next to him.

'You said you were embarrassed at first, what made you come talk to me?' She asked again, and Neptune chuckled.

'You're looking at him.' He said. Weiss followed his gaze to the blond, dress-clad boy shaking his tail on the dance floor. Her lips parted slightly at the unexpected confession, watching the blond dance with the ecstatic Pyrrha. Neptune smiled.

'You've got some good friends looking out for you.'

* * *

Emerald and Mercury stood quietly, overlooking the scene from the balconies above. They smirked at each other in amusement, and Emerald spoke quietly into an earpiece.

'It appears all the dancers have partners.' She said, speaking quietly into the hidden microphone.

'How long do I have?' A staticky voice came over the radio, and Mercury leaned against the balcony rail.

'We should probably be home by midnight, to be safe.' He muttered, and Cinder, on the other end of the radio, touched a finger to her ear.

'I'll keep my eye on the clock.' She affirmed, adjusting the mask covering her eyes. She leapt across the dormitory roofs, landing silently on the tiles. Reaching the peak of the roof, she vaulted over the edge, sliding down the other side. Hitting the gutter, she latched on to the drainage pipe, sliding down to the ground level.

At the entrance of the ballroom, Ruby stood, glaring defiantly at the spot where the black-clad, masked figure had disappeared over the rooftops.

* * *

Emerald pushed herself off the rail, adjusting her dress. The pair made their way quietly to the stairs, making for the dance floor. As they reached the stairs, Mercury caught Jaye staring at them from the corner of his eye. Locking gazes with the boy, he touched a finger to his forehead as a manner of greeting, and smirked as Jaye narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Unabashed, the two made their way down to the dance floor, stopping by the punch bowl for refreshments.

Mercury glanced back up at the balcony, where Jaye continued to watch the pair intently, and he took Emerald by the hand, leading her to the dance floor. Pulling her close to him, they swayed in unison to the music, and Jaye finally pulled his eyes away from them. He made a mental note to look into them.

Just in case.

* * *

'Hello?' The raven-haired girl called, stepping out of the lift of the CCT. She brandished Crescent Rose in front of her, looking about warily for signs of an intruder. She stumbled, catching herself as she tripped over her heels. She glared at the offending footwear angrily, stomping her feet in frustration.

'Is anyone there?' She called, pacing to the center of the room. Behind a terminal set, Cinder crouched silently, peering around the edge of the table at the young girl. Ruby glanced across the terminals. 'Hello?'

Cinder rose slowly, her head rising up above the cover of the table, and Ruby started slightly at the sight. She raised the sniper-scythe protectively in front of herself, assessing the masked, black-suited figure.

'Excuse me.' She called innocently, as Cinder stepped around the table. The mask obscuring her features, she noticed that the girl showed no sign of recognition, and internally heaved a sigh of relief. Ruby narrowed her eyes slightly. 'You know, it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that–'

Cinder flung a cylinder of dust across her, cutting the girl off, and crystallizing them into glass projectiles. Flicking her arm, she sent them flying towards the girl. Ruby spun her scythe, deflecting the projectiles. Slamming the point of the curved blade into the ground, she fired back several high-caliber rifle rounds. The masked woman deflected them effortlessly, spinning on the spot and forming two black swords. Ripping her scythe out of the ground, Ruby dashed forward, slashing at the intruder. Cinder backflipped out of the way, slamming the hilts of her swords together into a bow. Forming three arrows, she fired them at the girl, exploding on contact. Ruby jumped backwards, nearly getting caught in the blast.

She slammed her scythe into the ground to halt her movement, glaring back at the masked woman. The elevator doors opened behind her, and she glanced back at the new entry. Utilizing the momentary distraction to her advantage, Cinder shot upwards and through the glass panels, escaping the CCT. She slid down the side of the tower, using her swords to slow her fall. Reaching the ground, she darted for the ballroom, entering through a backdoor. As she stepped through, she quickly used her scroll to change into a long, black, backless dress with a dark grey ribbon trailing from the waist, and bicep high gloves and high heels. Shedding the mask, she pushed her way into the ballroom. Barely a moment after her, several guards burst into the room, chasing her. Ignoring their panicked entry, she slipped calmly into the throng of dancers in the ballroom, passing between them quietly until she found her two associates.

Mercury and Emerald waltzed quietly with each other, seemingly oblivious to her arrival. Taking a moment to compose herself, Cinder tapped on the dark-skinned girl's shoulder.

'Mind if I cut in?' She asked, a satisfied smile on her face, and Emerald stepped out for the way for her. Stepping into Mercury's arms, she wrapped an arm around his neck, placing her other hand on his chest. Smiling at him, she gazed into his eyes, and he smiled right back.

'And how's your night been?' He asked, and Cinder tilted her head sultrily.

'A little more…exciting than expected.' She replied, and Mercury smirked sarcastically.

'Should we be worried?'

'Hardly. They'll be scratching their heads long after we've finished what we came here for.'

'So then, what now?' Cinder smiled at the silver-haired boy's question.

'Enjoy the rest of the night.' She replied, raising her eyebrows with a knowing look. Mercury smiled back assuredly, and she pulled him ever so slightly closer to her.

'After all, it _is_ a party.'

* * *

And we're done here. Coming soon will be Jaye's backstory chapter, so hold tight for it!


	28. Chapter 27

Hi guys, unfortunately, you don't be getting chapters for the next three weeks, because I will be going into my country's _compulsory_ national service, to _protect my country for the betterment of all its people_ **sniggers** tomorrow. Well anyways there's no getting out of it. I'll be confined in camp for the first three weeks, and that sucks more for you guys than it does for me, since I won't be able to write chapters while I'm in there. SO don't worry, I'll be back, just have to take a hiatus.

Chapter 27

* * *

'That was a risky move.' The white-haired heiress declared, crossing her arms haughtily. Blake shook her head from her bed.

'No, I think you handled it well.' She interjected, watching the raven-haired girl silently. The five teammates were currently sitting in their dormitory room, having heard Ruby's recount of her meeting with the three adults after the CCT event.

'I hope so.' Ruby replied, gripping her hands nervously. Yang laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

'I'm sure everything will be alright Ruby.' She affirmed the girl. 'Oh, I know what will cheer you up!'

The blonde marched over to the desk, where a long cylindrical parcel stood. Ruby eyed it suspiciously.

"What's that?'

'I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us, I thought we could open it together.' Ruby bounced on the spot excitedly.

'Oooh, something from home!' She squealed, zipping over to her sister. She jumped onto the girl's back, struggling wildly for the parcel. Shaking it, a black cylindrical shaped bundle of fluff dropped out from it, and the five members observed it closely.

'What is that?' Jaye asked, and jumped as the object began to rustle. After bouncing a few times, it finally unfurled, exposing four legs and a white underbelly. It observed the five teammates for a moment, before barking excitedly upon catching sight of Ruby and Yang's faces.

'Zwei!' Ruby squealed, leaping with joy. The dog bounced around happily, running in circles. Jaye's eyes jumped between the parcel and the dog, utterly confused.

'He sent a dog?' Blake yelled incredulously.

'Apparently.' Jaye replied.

'In the mail?!' Weiss jumped back incredulously as the dog darted past her, and Jaye scratched his head.

'How'd he fit in that parcel though?' He wondered aloud, and Weiss whirled on him angrily.

'That's not the point Jaye!' She yelled, jabbing a finger into his face. Jaye raised his hands in surrender, returning his attention to the dog, who was now taking in his surroundings. Ruby picked him up, giggling in glee as the mutt slobbered all over her face.

'Oh he does stuff like this all the time.' Yang dismissed flippantly, while Ruby nuzzled the furry creature. Weiss raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

'Your father or your dog?' Blake asked, having retreated onto one of the top bunks. Weiss leaned over the panting animal, staring at it critically.

'Are you telling me, that this mangy, drooling mutt is going to wive with us forevah? Oh yes he is, yes he is!' The heiress degenerated into baby language as she tickled Zwei's head. Jaye watched her incredulously as she continued to coo at the creature. 'Nawww, Isn't he adowable?'

'Please keep it away from my belongings.' Blake requested, having scooted all the way to the extreme end of the bed to avoid the new addition. The five members looked up as Glynda's voice came over the speakers.

'Will all first-year students please report to the amphitheater.' Weiss looked down at the dog now running around her ankles.

'Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for a week.' She pointed out, and Yang reached back into the parcel.

'Look, there's a letter.' She said, pulling the sheaf of paper out of the cylinder. 'Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days. So I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang.'

Upturning the cylinder, a plethora of tin cans poured out of the parcel, which was clearly far too small to contain those, burying the dog within them. Jaye stared at the pile confusedly as Zwei popped out from it, panting happily. Weiss gestured towards the happy creature.

'And what is he supposed to do with that?' She asked. Yang shook the parcel again, and a can opener dropped out, bouncing off the dog's head. Unfazed by the item, Zwei continued to pant happily, staring at Jaye, who was still trying to wrap his head around the parcel's mysterious contents.

'Welp, that settles it. Come on girls, Zwei will be here when we get back.' Yang declared, tossing the parcel onto the floor behind her. The three girls made their way out of the door, and Jaye quietly picked the carboard parcel off the ground. He stared into it quizzically, and even slotted a few cans of dog food back into the thing. Only able to fit four cans in there, he realized that it was a completely ordinary carboard cylinder, and he stared at it in confusion.

'Jaye! Come on!' Yang's voice rang out from the hallway, and he dropped the cardboard, stepping out of the door. Ruby remained standing in the room, watching the dog as he stared happily at her. Her face lit up as an idea came to her, and she began digging through her cupboard.

* * *

'Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin.' The five teens pulled into a line amongst the crowd of first years gathered in the amphitheater. Standing atop the stage, Professor Ozpin assessed the young faces gathered before him. He stared directly at Jaye, who glared back at the white-haired professor.

'Today we stand together, united. Mistrel, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end.' He announced, adjusting his circular spectacles. 'It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom. But about the very idea of individualism itself.'

Jaye glanced down at his shoes. He remembered the stories they were always told as children, stories about how the most important aspect of a person is individuality. Everyone was different from each other; some in small ways, others in much larger. Diversity was what made humans strong. As a child he'd never understood the meaning behind it. Only when he joined team RHKD did he truly understand the value of having different kinds of people working together. Professor Ozpin paused for dramatic effect, before continuing.

'We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you all are well aware that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself. Color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it is a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity. Through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united.' Jaye started slightly as a hand crept into his. He glanced sideways at the grinning blonde, and squeezed it gently. 'But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students. you will be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress, on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training. And remember to do your very best.'

Professor Ozpin finished simply, stepping off the stage as a smattering of applause followed after. The speech over, the students began to disperse, searching for appropriate assignments and huntsmen to shadow. Ruby turned to her teammates, squealing in excitement.

'This is perfect. All we have to do is shadow a huntsman working in the Southeast!' She bounced happily, and Yang placed an arm on her shoulder.

'Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip at night.' Yang declared, pumping a fist enthusiastically. Jaye rolled his eyes.

'Let's check search and destroy.' Weiss suggested, and the team nodded in agreement. Taking the lead, the white-clad girl marched them over to the holographic notice board.

'Here we go.' Ruby squeaked, running a finger down the list of available quests. 'Quadrant five needs grimm cleared out.'

'It's in the southeast.' Blake pointed out, and Jaye nodded. Poking the screen, a keyboard and a text box showed up. Ruby typed in their team name quickly, hitting the enter button. A set of large, ominous floating red text appeared.

"MISSION UNAVAILABLE TO FIRST YEAR STUDENTS"

'Wonderful' Weiss bemoaned, flipping her hair. Ruby flopped down dramatically in frustration.

'Any other ideas?' Blake asked, and Ruby lit up, turning to the four.

'We mail ourselves there!' She declared, and Jaye shrugged.

'Well if the dog could do it, so can we.' He reasoned, and Ruby nodded rapidly in excitement.

"Well, that's one option.' The five glanced over as the silver-haired headmaster approached them. 'Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of grimm was too extreme for first year students.'

He glanced over the five young faces, stopping on Jaye's scowling face. 'It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that the four of you will make your way there no matter which job you choose.'

'Whatever makes you say that?' Ruby scratched her head, smiling nervously. Professor Ozpin rolled his eyes knowingly.

'I'm still curious as to how you all found yourselves at the docks last semester. I'm also interested to know how you _really_ learned about a "hideout" in the Southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago.' He said, settling his gaze on the scowling boy's face. Jaye glared back, unfazed, and Ozpin chuckled. Ruby laughed nervously, and Ozpin looked at her with a tender expression. 'I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for. So, how about this. Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?'

He raised a tablet, tapping on it, and all five members' scrolls beeped. Glancing at the screens, a notification of acceptance for the mission appeared. Ruby beamed at the headmaster.

'We won't let you down. Thank you, professor!' She piped, and Ozpin's expression turned serious.

'Do not thank me for this.' He shook his head. Ruby looked at him quizzically, and he smiled at her. 'Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsman at all times. And do _exactly_ as he says. He will be leading you on this mission. And he _can_ have you sent back to Beacon, if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory.'

He took a customary glance about the four eager, and one annoyed, faces. He stopped, looking knowingly at Jaye. 'Though, I doubt that will be an issue. Good luck.'

* * *

'That wasn't exactly uplifting.' Yang groaned. The five made their way out of the hall, walking in silence towards the helipads.

'But it's the truth.' Blake admitted, consoling the dejected blonde.

'It's gonna be tough, but I know we can do it.' Ruby encouraged, looking eagerly towards the helipads. Jaye flipped open his scroll, poking through his more recent messages, shielding the screen from the girls. He jumped as Ruby peered over his shoulder.

'Whatcha doing?' She asked, and Jaye slipped the device back into his pocket.

'Nothing.' He dismissed, waving the red-hooded girl away. She pouted, glaring comically at him, and he smirked at her. They looked up as a called out from beside them.

'Hey, team CFVY's back!' The boy ran over to greet them, and the girls instantly surged forward. Jaye, slow on the uptake, was left behind.

'Velvet! Are you okay?' Blake called out to the rabbit eared faunus walking near the back of the group. She turned, smiling, brown hair swaying, to greet the dark-haired girl.

'Hey Blake! I'm fine, I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me.' She said, gesturing at a tall, armored student with a large sword slung over his back. He nodded briefly at the group of girls, making his way after their leader; a white-skinned girl wrapped in expensive looking clothing and carrying a black leather handbag. Weiss observed the girl curiously.

'Your mission was supposed to end a week ago. What happened?' She asked, and Velvet raised her hands to pacify her.

'N-nothing happened!' She stammered nervously, letting her hands fall to her side. Her face turned downcast. 'It's just…there were just so many.

The rabbit girl glanced across the girls, before realizing the mood she'd just set. She waved her hands panickily, trying to distract the girls. 'Oh, but don't worry! You first years are just shadowing huntsmen, so you should be fine!'

'Riiiiight.' Yang raised an eyebrow, and Velvet laughed nervously. Her eyes settled on Jaye as he arrived. Her eyes widened in recognition.

'Oh hey! It's you!' She exclaimed, waving at him as he arrived. Jaye raised an eyebrow, assessing the girl quietly.

'Uh…do I know you?' He asked, and Velvet's face fell slightly. Weiss glared at the boy, and he raised his arms in a gesture of surrender.

'You don't remember me?' The faunus girl asked, and Jaye shrugged, confused.

'No? I mean…should I?' He cocked his head to the side, and Yang punched him. He rubbed his arm, glaring at the blonde. Velvet laughed.

'Well, I suppose that's only natural.' She said, smiling widely at the boy. 'Thank you for stepping in to help me with Cardin that time. You didn't have to, but it made me very happy that you did!'

The brown-haired faunus girl waved at the five as she left, chasing after her team. Jaye continued to stare after her, before a look of realization dawned on his face.

'Oh hey–wait! That was you?!' He yelled after her, but she had already vanished into the throng of students passing through the academy doors. Yang stared at him disbelievingly, punching him again, and Jaye rubbed his now even more bruised arm.

'We can do this.' Ruby declared, pointing a finger in the air. 'We've never backed down before and we're not going to start now.'

'Right!' Blake replied, determined, crossing her arms. Ruby beamed at the academy in front of her.

'Besides it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine huntsman!'

* * *

'Why hello girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?' The girls stared, deadpan, as they were greeted by the green-haired sonic the hedgehog reincarnate. Decked out in travel gear and a fisherman's hat, Professor Oobleck pumped a fist in excitement. Jaye raised a skeptical eyebrow at the caffeine supercharged history professor.

'We're doomed.'

* * *

Chapter 27 done. Hope ya'll are having fun reading this, and do leave a review if you liked it.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Guess who finally got out of the army? THIS GUY. Well, just for weekends, I have to go back in from Monday to Friday. My sad life.

"Search And Destroy"

* * *

'Professor Oobleck?' Weiss stuttered, staring at the hyperactive professor in disbelief. The members of team RRWBY were currently staring skeptically at the green-haired "Sonic The Hedgehog" reincarnate who apparently was the huntsman they were shadowing for their mission. Well, all were staring except for Jaye, who had already dropped his face into his hands like his fate was sealed.

'Yes I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary girls. Seeing as you've opted to shadow a huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations.' He announced, speaking faster than a machine gun, and pacing faster than the Flash. 'Rather we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland, and making camp in any inhabitable locations we may stumble upon. I've packed all our essentials myself provided the air course and readied the airship. And!'

He zipped up to Weiss's face, the girl jumping backwards in shock. 'It's Dr. Oobleck. I didn't earn a PhD for fun thank you very much. Come now children, according to my schedule we are already 3 minutes behind…schedule!'

He zipped over to the airship, and Jaye wondered if it was his semblance, or if his body was naturally supercharged to move at those speeds.

'Well alright then looks like we're going to save the world with…! Dr. Oo…bleck okay yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse.' Ruby mumbled, dropping her hands dejectedly. The girls glanced across each other, and Blake patted the sulking boy on the back as he lamented his poor life choices and rotten luck.

'Save the world?' Nora's voice rang out behind the five, and they turned to greet the pink-clad, hammer wielding girl and her team. 'You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt and sad! Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault though; Ren!'

The girl turned to glare comically at Ren, who turned away from her, arms crossed, with a huff. Jaune stepped forward, smiling at the five.

'Sounds exciting! Where are you guys going?' He asked, and Ruby rocked on her heels.

'Oh, just outside the kingdom!' She said, and Nora bounced into the picture.

'Oh! So are we!' She cut in. Pyrrha raised a hand.

'Ren and Nora want to shadow a sheriff of a nearby village.' She explained.

'We set out tomorrow.' Ren said, and jumped as a pair of boys seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

'Cool, then you can party with us tonight!' Neptune declared, and Sun nodded in agreement. 'We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges.'

Jaune's eyes lit up in excitement at the prospect, and Sun laughed.

'We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk.' He grinned, and the girls glared at him. 'So we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, y'know, normal.'

'Four minutes ladies!' Professor (oh no wait, _Doctor_ ) Oobleck called from the ship. Jaye rolled his eyes at being addressed collectively as a lady, but relented knowing he was outnumbered in that department. He resigned himself to the fate of being included in the group as a "lady" by every person who would collectively refer to them for the next four years.

'Well, uh, wish us luck.' Ruby asked nervously, waving goodbye to their friends. The five boarded the airship, gripping on to the overhead handles. (Jaye, Ruby and Weiss had to reach up reaaaalllly far) As the sole male of the team, Jaye had been regulated to stand next to the Doctor, a fact that seemed to irritate him to a large degree.

'I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter.' Yang finally pointed out to the Doctor, and he turned his blank, seemingly opaque glasses onto the blonde girl.

'I admit I fancy myself more of an…intellectual. But I can assure you, as a huntsman I've had my fair share of tussles.' He declared, and Ruby glanced about in confusion.

'Like the mushroom?' She asked, and Blake leaned over.

'Those are truffles.'

'Like the sprout?'

'Those are brussels.' Yang whispered. Doctor Oobleck cut in.

'Besides, given my expertise in the field of history, as well as my dabblings in the art of archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular, assignment.' He said, and Weiss raised an eyebrow.

'What does history have to do with this?' She asked, and Doctor Oobleck scoffed at her.

'My, what a preposterous question you silly girl! Why, history is the backbone of our very society. And the liver! And probably the kidneys if I were to wager.' He said, touching a finger to his lips. Weiss flinched as he began to invade her personal space.

'And that means?' The doctor rolled his eyes.

'The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves.' He informed them. 'But, it is also the location to one of the kingdoms greatest failures.'

'Mountain Glenn.' Ruby murmured. Doctor Oobleck glanced at the red-hooded girl, and Yang chipped in.

'That's right, it was an expansion of Vale.' She said. 'But in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city.'

'Correct!' He declared, jabbing a finger at them. 'And now it stands abandoned, as a dark reminder.'

'And a likely place for a hideout.' Blake interjected, and Doctor Oobleck adjusted his round, opaque spectacles, grinning widely.

'Precisely.'

* * *

The airship dropped in height, passing over several decayed and decrepit buildings that once had been part of Vale. Jaye gazed at the magnificent sight. Miles of abandoned buildings and rubble stretched the landscape, forming a kingdom of desolation that stretched across the top of the mountain. The deserted place resonated pain and destruction, the wind echoing through the abandoned hollows.

The airship descended, hovering just above the ground. The six Beacon academy members dropped off the ship, landing silently on the deserted ground. A cloud of dust shot up when Jaye's boots hit the ground, getting in his nose and eyes, making him sneeze. Doctor Oobleck promptly took a massive draught of coffee from his thermos.

'Ladies, you still may be students, but as of this moment your first mission as a huntress has begun. From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?' His eyes came to a stop on the red-hooded, scythe wielding girl. 'Ruby!'

The girl started, dropping her scythe. The green-haired doctor zoomed in on her, glaring her down.

'I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school?' He admonished, and Ruby laughed nervously.

'But uh…you hadn't told us to listen to you yet.' She said, raising a finger in the air. 'So I didn't.'

'She's not wrong.' He declared. Jaye slapped a hand into his face, wondering how on earth this person had ever become a Doctor. 'Very well Ruby leave your bag here we can pick it up upon our return.'

'But I–whaa' She protested, and flinched as Doctor Oobleck raised his voice.

'Young lady what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important for you to bring it–'He stopped short as the bag rustled, and a furry head popped out of it. The dog panted, observing everyone quietly, turning his black and white head about in curiosity.

'Get back in the bag!' Ruby whispered to the creature, to which Zwei responded with an excited woof.

'We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility and you brought, a dog?' He bore down on the girl, who glanced at Jaye nervously. He promptly ignored her, keeping his eyes fixed on the dog which was now staring at him like he were its next meal.

'Genius!' The Doctor zipped past Ruby, swiping the dog out of her bag. Ruby dropped to the ground with a thud, eyes spinning. 'Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound. Making them excellent companions for hunts such as ours!'

The doctor spun the canine in circles, while the five looked on. Ruby jabbed a thumb into her chest.

'I'm a genius.' She declared, and the others dropped their faces into their hands. Blake stepped forward, ignoring the situation.

'So, what are your orders doctor?' She asked, and Doctor Oobleck stopped instantaneously in his tracks. Jaye wondered how the whiplash hadn't already snapped the hyper-active doctor's neck.

'Ah! Yes! Straight to the chase, I like it! As you have been informed the Southeast area has been marked as a recent hotspot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior. One of which being, Grimm.' He declared. The five glanced across each other for the umpteenth time that day in confusion.

'Grimm, a creature of Grimm approximately 100 yards from us at this very moment.' He informed them, and Yang spun around.

'What?!' She exclaimed, extending Ember Celica. A grimm stalked its way out from behind a building, sniffing and pawing at the ground. Jaye instantly drew Excalibur, but Doctor Oobleck held up a hand.

'Stop!' He whispered, and the five turned to him quizzically. 'There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area. The most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, all qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent.'

The four girls instantly turned to glare at Jaye, and he glared back, deadpan, flipping them off in turn. He returned his attention to the grimm, which surprisingly hadn't noticed them, and began to plan an attack.

'So, what now?' Ruby asked, and Doctor Oobleck stood up straight, eyes locked onto the grimm.

'We wait, we track, if the specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey.' He declared, and Yang crossed her arms.

'And how long do we wait?' She asked, and Doctor Oobleck shrugged.

'It's uncertain! Hours, days, weeks? Why, lone Grimm have been known to stand isolated from the pack for months- and there's the whole pack.'

'What?' Weiss exclaimed. Approximately twenty grimm emerged from around the nearby buildings, congregating nearby where the group were standing. The four girls once more turned to Jaye, and he glared back.

'Okay, seriously?' He spat, and Doctor Oobleck piped up again.

'And now they've seen us.' He mumbled, and Weiss glanced back at him.

'What?!' She started, and Professor Oobleck zipped over to her.

'AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!' He yelled. Jaye groaned as several grimm turned their beady eyes on the group. He locked gazes with one, staring it down with intent. Ruby turned to the doctor, raising a hand.

'I take it tracking is out of the question then?'

'That is an accurate assumption.'

'What's the plan then?' Yang waved a gauntlet in the air, and Jaye drew Caliburn.

'Attack.' He spat, charging the grimm. Doctor Oobleck watched the boy charge in, before turning to the girls.

'Show me what you're capable of.' He declared, as the pack closed in.

'Cover your ears Zwei!' Ruby shouted, slamming the point of her scythe into the dirt. The dog dropped to the ground, placing his paws over his fluffy ears and covering his head.

The five smashed their way through the army of grimm, punching and slashing their way through their enemies. Jaye spun rapidly, his dual blades cleaving through their bodies like butter, leaving behind numerous cleanly split grimm corpses smoking in the dust behind him. He ducked a paw, throwing a spinning back kick into its face. Carving through the beast, he activated his semblance, creating a deadly encirclement of ice that speared the beasts surrounding him. Yang promptly punched her way through a miniature horde, while Weiss and Blake opted for rapid strikes to defeat their adversaries. Ruby fired from a distance, zipping in as they entered her effective range to cleave through them with her massive weapon. Jaye had to say, a scythe was an efficient weapon to use on grimm. The girl decimated them easily, spinning the blade in circles around her petite frame. Zwei ran in circles, barking at his tail. The battle over, they returned to the doctor, who was watching their performance with marked curiosity.

'Heh, piece of cake.' Ruby shrugged, grinning at the huntsman. Doctor Oobleck stared back impassively.

'Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many.' He told the smiling girl. Ruby's face fell, and a small smile crested his face, and the doctor pumped a fist in a surprisingly calm manner. 'Shall we continue?'

* * *

Several battles, and several inactive Doctor Oobleck moments later, the five finished off yet another horde of grimm. The girls leaned on their weapons, panting in exhaustion, while doctor Oobleck continued to observe the flora and fauna. Jaye breathed deeply, letting the tips of his swords rest on the ground. He had far more endurance as compared to the girls, but the continued battles were starting to take a toll on him as well. Doctor Oobleck looked up from a plant he was examining.

'Excellent work girls! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector.' He declared, dropping a leaf he was holding. 'Oh well, moving on!'

The girls recovered, making after the doctor, Zwei trailing behind. Yang raised a hand in annoyance. 'Hey doc you know I was actually looking forward to seeing a pro huntsman in action. Like fighting or at least helping us fight?'

The doctor glanced over his shoulder at the blonde, not in the lease fazed by her comment.

'Ah, but I am in action, scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity.' He said, grinning at the sour blonde. 'Not every mission is filled with terror and heroism girls. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination. Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that.'

Yang glanced at her feet, mumbling a response, and the team moved on.

* * *

Jaye fired Hesperides, dropping the transformed shield from his eye. Spinning it back onto his wrist, he spun Excalibur into an approaching grimm, slicing it in two. Drawing Caliburn from his waist, he stabbed another that attempted to blindside him. Spinning Excalibur onto his back, he yanked his shield off his left arm, transforming it into its gun mode, firing off a few shots at the approaching horde. He blinked as they vanished in a ball of fire, and Yang smirked at the boy. He smiled back, returning his shield to his back. Splitting back up to take care of the rest, Yang charged up the side of an abandoned high-rise carpark.

'Tell me Yang, why did you choose this line of work?' Doctor Oobleck asked, as she finished off the last of her grimm. She turned to him quizzically.

'Huh? Well, to fight monsters and sav–' She began, but the doctor cut her off.

'No, that is what you do, I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a huntress.' He clarified, and Yang glanced at him, punching an approaching grimm from over her shoulder.

'The honest reason? I'm a thrill seeker. I wanna travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way then that's even better.' She admitted, cleaning off her gauntlet. 'It's a win-win y'know?'

'I see.' The doctor muttered, jotting rapidly in his notebook.

* * *

'And you Miss Schnee, a girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. So, why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?' He asked, perched atop a seat of concrete, writing in his notebook. Weiss stabbed a grimm, pulling Myrtenaster out of its belly.

'It's exactly as you said, I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold.' She said, flicking her blade. 'Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I would do with my life. It was my duty.'

'Interesting.' The doctor slipped his notebook into his coat pocket, dropping down from his perch.

* * *

'And what about you Blake? You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose.' The dark-haired girl glanced at the professor, sheathing Gambol Shroud.

'There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption, someone has to stop it.' She said firmly, clenching her fists. Doctor Oobleck observed her curiously, placing a hand on his chin.

'Very well. How?' He posed, and Blake did a double-take. She stared blankly at the doctor, her mouth agape.

'I…uh…' She mumbled, and the doctor grimaced. He zipped away wordlessly, and Blake turned her gaze downcast.

* * *

'Woof!' Zwei barked, hopping up and down to get at a whole roast chicken that Ruby was dangling over it on the end of her scythe. She started as Doctor Oobleck approached her, returning Crescent Rose to her back, the chicken vanishing in the process (how–?).

'Sorry! Uhh, are we ready to keep going?' She asked nervously, but Doctor Oobleck shook his head.

'No, I believe that will have to do for today.' He declared, casting his eyes to the sky. 'It's going to be dark soon.'

He chucked his backpack over his shoulder, and it slammed into Yang with an "oof".

'You four set up camp in that building.' He called over his shoulder, sipping once more from his ever-present thermos. 'Oh, and please do make sure that there are no more of those…creatures. Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby.'

The four remaining members glanced across each other, and Jaye shrugged uncaringly, taking the backpack from Yang. The four made their way inside, weapons drawn, while the doctor and Ruby made a trek down around the expanse of their new, temporary base.

* * *

'I can't believe we didn't find anything.' Yang kicked at the dirt at her feet, her boot scrunching in the gravel. Jaye used his semblance to run water over their camp area, lifting the dust and gravel away and into the corner. Blake poked at the fire.

'We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I guess we can't always have luck on our side.' She said, throwing another stick in. Weiss stood quietly, staring at the corner, arms crossed.

'That's not what I meant.' She murmured, and the three glanced at her. She turned back to them, letting her arms fall to her sides. 'Earlier, about, upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that.'

'Yeah, no, me too.' Yang watched her quietly, nodding in agreement. 'I mean, I don't know.'

'I don't know either.' Blake admitted, rubbing her arm. 'I know what I want to do but, I figured I'd always take things one step at a time.'

'Well, it doesn't matter, we know why we're here. Right?' Yang glanced over at Jaye, who avoided her eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets. Doctor Oobleck zipped around the corner with Ruby in tow.

'Ah! Wonderful! A textbook campfire. Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?' He asked, and Ruby raised a hand in acknowledgement. He zipped off to an unknown area of the building, presumably to do teacher stuff. The girls watched him go, rolling out their sleeping bags while Jaye busied himself with dinner. He threw ingredients into a pot, hanging it over the fire, the girls watching him work.

'We _have_ rations you know.' Weiss pointed out, and Jaye chuckled.

'Well, we have time tonight. Might as well have proper food.' He said simply, adding spices and water to the mix. A delicious aroma wafted through the air, and the girls' stomachs growled. Two hours later, he had finished a savory beef stew, and spooned out generous portions for everyone.

'This is really good!' Yang complemented through a mouthful of food, and the rest sounded out in agreement. Jaye smiled at them, grabbing seconds for himself.

'Thanks.' He said, dumping the thick gravy over his rice. He grabbed a spare plate out of his bag, filling it, and brought it back to the doctor, who was still jotting in his notebook behind a wall some ways behind the five.

'Ah, thank you Mister Ryder. I must say, this is the most glamorous meal I have received on a field study.' He received the plate graciously, watching the boy with interest. 'Now Mister Ryder, before you go, I would like you to answer one question.'

Jaye glanced back over his shoulder at the professor. He observed the pile of leaves, berries, and other plant parts sitting next to him, and turned away.

'Those are hydrangea leaves.' He said. 'They're poisonous, but only in very large quantities. they're relatively harmless. The berries you have under those are white baneberries. They're extremely potent, and can cause cardiac arrest. Keep those away from your food.'

The doctor glanced down at the berries, a look of mild surprise on his face. 'I see. Thank you, Mister Ryder, but while that was indeed helpful it was not the question I was about to ask you.'

'I know.' Jaye murmured, scratching his head. 'I don't really feel like answering, at least not to you. For now, I mean. The girls? I owe them that much, but I hope you understand.'

Doctor Oobleck shut his notebook, tossing the berries into the corner. He waved the boy away, turning his attention to the food.

'No matter, no matter. It is only a passing interest of mine, and a desire to help if necessary. Sharing is entirely up to you. So, if you do feel fit to do so, my ears are open.'

* * *

Jaye left the doctor, making his way back to the girls. He stared at the foreboding walls, the dust and grime coating them, and sighed. Glancing out from a hole in the wall, the moon loomed over them, cutting a crescent shaped wedge out of the night sky. He squinted at it, rubbing his eyes, and shuddered slightly. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen, however much he tried.

He rounded the corner, pausing as four eager pairs of eyes stared up at him. Ruby had deserted her post at the entrance, and they were now huddled around the fire. Jaye plopped down on his bedroll, prodding the fire.

'Well now, Mister Ryder, don't you have something you want to tell us?' Jaye started as a stick was shoved into his face like a microphone, a marshmallow stuck to the end of it. Ruby wiggled the stick, grinning at the boy, and the girls crowded closer to him. He flinched back reflexively at their gazes, and sighed in exasperation.

'Do we have to do it here?' He groaned, and flinched again as Yang jabbed a finger into his face.

'Oh no, you're not weaseling your way out of this one.' She declared, waggling her finger. 'You said "later" at the party, then we got delayed by projects, assignments, and now this mission! You're not putting this off any longer.'

Jaye sighed in defeat, hanging his arms. Yang waved a hand carelessly at their surroundings.

'Besides, this is basically a camping trip! What better setting to dig into a person's soul and have them spill all their dirty secrets!' She grinned maliciously. 'Besides, for the setting _your_ story's likely to have, this is a great atmosphere!'

Jaye slapped a hand into his face, shaking his head in disbelief at their ridiculous reasoning. He peeked through his fingers, staring at the girls, and sighed again.

'Alright. Where do I begin?'

* * *

END. Get ready guys, it's gonna be Jaye's backstory next chapter!


	30. Chapter 29

UGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH Army is making my life difficult to be quite frank. I continuously have no time, less than two days off before I have to go back in for another five. This has killed my writing schedule and it sucks. Well anyways, I got my A Level results back! YAAAAAAAAAAY Jk it wasn't that good. Ya'll can probably hazard a guess where I live from that snippet of information.

So here's my results: 4 As, 1 B, 1 D

Overall 81/90 points. Some people will understand what that means.

Welp, not as great as I'd hoped, but not that bad either. Either way, it means that I'm freed from the stress of worrying about results and now instead I have to worry about University applications.

Chapter 29

* * *

Mountain Glenn

* * *

The four girls sat, huddled together around the fire, staring expectantly at Jaye. He sat on his bedroll, facing them, head propped up on his cheek, and flipped a knife in his hand (Seriously, where does he get them from?). Jaye sighed.

'It's a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?' He asked the four eager faces, and they nodded rapidly. Ruby and Yang were eating from a large popcorn bag, and Blake was swiping bits from time to time. He sighed again, staring disbelievingly at the bowl of popcorn, scratching the back of his head.

'Really? Popcorn?' He asked, and the two sisters shrugged.

'It's entertainment! Sort of! That means popcorn!' Ruby declared, shoving another handful into her mouth. Yang nodded vigorously, her hand buried in the bag. Jaye sighed again, slapping a palm into his face.

'Well, whatever. Do what you want I guess. Where do I start?'

* * *

No seriously, where? It's a long story, but it's not _that_ bad I guess. This covers all 19, going 20 years of my life, and you guys are going to have to sit through this.

 ***Clears throat*** So, nearly 20 years ago, in the beginning of time, the benevolent me was born, for all the world to see! And thus began the dawn of the universe.

Kidding. I'll cut to the chase. I was an assassin. I killed people. Now I don't. The end.

Yeah sorry, that wasn't funny. My early life was nothing special. Was born pretty late in the year. Grew up in a pretty strict family, had a pretty boring life. Two siblings; older brother, younger sister. I studied, went through this horrible cycle of initially bad grades that only improved at the end of each year when I could muster up the willpower to study. A lot of people attribute that to my birth month. I think I'm just highly motivated to do nothing. I was a pretty normal kid, no one of any concern. One thing though; unlike the rest of my family, I had an incredible battle sense. Started martial arts around 8, eventually training in nearly 13 different styles over the next 5 years. I specialized mainly in a few, the ones I liked best basically, weaving in moves and tactics from the other styles that I could apply. I had a pretty strong talent for combat, and fighting was incredibly easy for me. Well, easy isn't the right word, more like quick to pick up, but you get the idea. It was fairly simple for me to get good at hand to hand combat, but I'm honestly a bit of a coward. I like to stay on the safe side, so I learned to fight with sword and shield. Parents played a part in that too. They understood the need for combat ability, but they felt better if I had a blade and shield between me and my enemies. Kept me a little further from enemy weapons. Picked up dual sword combat afterwards when I felt I needed a better offensive option. In the end, I still flourished more in the hand to hand side, but to appease my parents, I just stuck with weapons.

I first entered Signal Academy when I was 14, and I stayed there for a year. Built my swords, Excalibur and Caliburn, and my shield, Hesperides, there. Fought the other kids and the older ones, ending with a record of 33 wins, two draws, and zero losses. In the end it bored me, so I left. Or so I tell everyone. Or at least, everyone who's bothered to ask.

Truth is, my parents died on the way back from a business trip. Grimm attack. Crashed the plane. Pretty brutal but…at least I wasn't there to witness it. That sucked. I kinda hated my parents. But still loved them, cuz well…you know what I mean right? You love em but you still hate em? Meh, they're parents, what do you expect? Well, either way, the main reason I still fight with weapons is sort of a remembrance of them. They let me build and customize them anyway. Named them myself too, since my mom nicknamed me her little "King Arthur". Anyways, not the point.

That was a shocker, you know? I was pretty torn up about it. They were well to do, hardworking people. We weren't rich but…we had more than others did. They held pretty important jobs, but not important enough to protect them from Grimm attacks I guess. Funny thing is, even after the news came, I didn't really think about it much. I always felt like I'd come back during summer break and meet them. I came home to an empty house.

My siblings? Taken, by the government. Three kids, living by themselves? Course they wouldn't let that happen. So, we were shipped off to foster homes. As for our inheritance, a couple of nasty legal shitbags got in the way. We had no idea what we were doing, and after dumbly signing a few papers, we had nothing left. Our estate, my parents' life savings? Gone. My guess is that we were on their potential list of people to swindle. They probably placed us on the list since our parents had jobs that would probably get them killed in "accidents". I couldn't prove anything of course, so in the end they got away with it. I ditched my foster family, and took to the streets. Anything was better than having to call random strangers "mother", "father", and "sister".

I lived on the streets for a month before I met Kamina. He was a weird kid, a year younger than me, but we had a helluva lot of fun together. We did everything we could to survive. Went and saw my siblings a bunch of times too. From afar, didn't want them knowing I was on the streets. They seemed pretty okay with their new homes, so I'm happy for them I guess.

When I was 16, we joined the Faction. It wasn't uncommon for dirty street rats to be picked up to be used as messengers, or runners for drugs or other merchandise that would be too risky to be brought out. We were supposed to run those jobs, and we did for a few weeks. Then, one of our handlers pissed me off, and in the ensuing fight, we killed him. That would usually have gotten us executed, but they changed their mind when the grandmaster saw us fight. In the end, Kamina and I were introduced to a member of the Faction to work with. That was how we first met Indigo. She was 19 at the time, and had built up a solid reputation as both an assassin and an information broker. She was a cunning person, and under her, we flourished. Shortly after, Damian was picked up too, and placed on our team when he killed an assassin for the Faction. They valued our skills, and our unique and powerful semblances, and in the end, we became the top ranked team in the Faction in the span of a few months, simply by taking on an impossible job that would have gotten any other team killed. We stayed a team for two years, amassing money and infamy amongst other crime syndicates and other teams. Went to see my siblings in that time too. Helped them out with some financial issues, and a few obnoxious gang "protection" pushers that thought they were easy pickings. Safe to say, their bodies were never found. Unfortunately, I never found out if my parents' deaths were really an accident, or something else. I guess I'll never know, but it isn't going to stop me from trying to find out.

We were big shots, we were the best. Indigo and I had gotten together about four months after we first met, and we bought a house together after the first year of our partnership in the Faction. I was 17, she was 20. We lived together, happy, for the next year, and our team stayed strong. It seemed like nothing could break us.

Then it all fell apart.

Two years into our team and new life, in the beginning of my 18th year, Kamina had gotten a tip from one of our past jobs about a deal with Jacques Schnee that involved Faunus labor. As members of the Faction, it wasn't our job to care unless Schnee hired us, which he didn't. But Kamina was soft, and easily angered. He went after Schnee, alone, and thanks to that was caught and sent to the dust mines. We only discovered this after a week of searching, and by then the trail had gone cold. In November of my 18th year, almost a year later, we finally found a lead on his whereabouts, but it was too late. Once we'd gotten to the mine, it had been nearly destroyed, and half the slaves had escaped, with a few dying in the blast. Kamina was on the list of deceased. He was gone. Or so we thought.

It broke us. That was the trigger that started it all. Damian was the first to go. He left the moment Kamina was pronounced dead, moving on to other branches of the Faction across the continents to God knows where. I left the Faction after that. I couldn't take it. In January of my 19th year, I left. The house, the team, Indigo, everything. It was too much for me to handle. I faked my death, and just…sort of…roamed. I had money, so why not? I was attacked, of course, when my faked death was discovered, and assassins were sent after me. I kept on the move, just running and fighting. I went all the way to Atlas and back. Ten months after, in about November last year, I accidentally slipped up, and got caught by Ozpin in downtown Vale when I stole about a thousand credits from a cashier when he wasn't looking. I had no idea he'd had his eye on me all the way.

I knew who he was of course, and what he was capable of. I wasn't sure I could beat him, so it was either come here or go to juvie, so not like I had much of a choice. So, I came here, and my time since then was spent with you guys. I was still being hunted though, and they knew I was at Beacon. Of course, they couldn't get in and risk their current state of tolerance with the Huntsmen.

So, we struck a deal. A deal where I would fight a champion of their choosing. If I lost, I died. If I won, they'd leave me alone. Of course, it wasn't an actual match, it was just a way of trying to find out if their current best and brightest could tough it in the ring with me. They were satisfied with his performance, and they agreed to leave me alone, aside from maybe the odd job or two. They gave me a marker. A marker is proof, signed with both my blood, and the blood of the grandmaster. This binds the soul, and is honored regardless of allegiance, or motives. It ensured my…somewhat _conditional_ freedom, and ensured the safety of those I hold dear. Including the four of you.

So that leads us to today. Now, Kamina is a hero amongst the Faunus. He fights for them, and destroys labor camps and illegal slave trade. He stays in that violent, bloody world because he has something to fight for. I admire him, honestly. That fight put him through hell, but he's still fighting. I wish I had that kind of courage.

Indigo? She's still an information broker and part-time assassin for the Faction. Rest assured, she won't be hired to take out any of the five of us. The marker ensures that. For anyone else, well, they're fair game, but I doubt anyone else here is important enough to be kidnapped or assassinated. Well, maybe Weiss. But don't be too worried, ice queen. She chose to stay there, even when I left. I'm grateful to her, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't have survived this long without her. But she chose to remain in that world because it's all she knows. Far as I know, she still cries herself to sleep every night, the faces of those she's killed come to haunt her as she sleeps. I loved that about her. It made her seem so much more…human. She was everything I needed, everything I could ask for. But now, she's everything I'm trying to escape from. You can call this an excuse, you can call it running away, but I believe that this is the right choice. At least for now, she's not ready to move on from that place. She doesn't believe that she has a place anywhere else except there. It was the first place she found acceptance, and in sort of a weird, twisted way, it's dear to her.

Then again, I could say the same about myself. They'll stay with me, for as long as I live, as a constant reminder of all that I was. I'll remember my time with my team fondly, regardless of how they are now. But now, they're something that I cannot live with, something I cannot accept. They go against everything I want now, and that's why I've chosen to stay with the four of you.

* * *

'Any questions?' Jaye asked the four girls, staring wide-eyed at him. Ruby had bunched her fists under her chin, staring starry-eyed at him. Yang was finishing off the popcorn, Blake was adjusting her bow, and Weiss was giving him a look of disbelief. She held up a hand, touching a finger to her forehead.

'Okay, let me get this straight.' She said, rubbing her temples. Jaye turned to her curiously, and she let her hands fall to her lap. 'You were part of a rich family, your parents died, you got swindled of your money, you ditched your foster home, joined the criminal underground, killed people for a living, your best friend died but not really, you left Indigo, and now you're living an upstanding life as a model citizen?'

'Not _exactly_ how I'd put it, but yes, that just about sums it up.'

'And you expect us to believe that?'

'Yeah, pretty much.'

Weiss stared at him incredulously. Jaye shrugged, leaning over to steal a handful of popcorn before Yang dumped the rest into her stomach. Ruby continued watching in awe, and Blake tied off her bow with a flourish.

'It does add up though.' Blake interjected, making some final adjustments to her hair ornament. 'His skill in battle does suggest a greater experience in life or death situations than we have. And Indigo has in part confirmed certain areas of this story herself. The existence of the "Faction", their team, the premature declaration of Kamina's death, as well as their relationship, to name a few.'

'Then that makes him a criminal.' Weiss crossed her arms haughtily, turning to face the dark-haired boy. 'Shouldn't we be reporting him to the police?'

Yang shrugged non-committally. 'If we did that, we'd have to turn in Blake too. The White Fang ARE _technically_ criminals you know.'

Weiss held up a hand carelessly, turning her cheek. 'That and this are entirely separate matters. Blake has proved her loyalty to us. Jaye has not. In fact, he has brought more trouble to the team than Blake ever did.'

Yang stared at the white-haired girl in disbelief, and Ruby turned to them nervously.

'But he has, hasn't he?' She cut in softly. The girls turned to her, and she shrank in on herself a little. Finding her courage, Ruby sat up a little straighter, nervously twiddling her thumbs.

'Jaye helped Jaune. He even asked me to talk to Jaune during the incident with Cardin. He also helped out during the Ursa attack and saved Jaune's life!' She defended, and Yang nodded in agreement.

'Yeah! He even helped us figure out Torchwick's plans! AND he fought with us against the giant robot! And on top of that, we _just_ fought through a whole horde of grimm, alongside him.' She said, putting her foot down. 'I think he's more than proved himself.'

Weiss rolled her eyes. 'True. But he's _also_ caused assassins to attack us, placed tension between members of the team, hid the truth from us, has an _incredibly_ hard to believe backstory, shady connections, a _questionable_ personality, not to mention the potential DANGER that comes from having someone of his background around us, AND he's barely told us anything about himself!'

'Uh, what did I just do?' Jaye cut in, and Weiss whirled on him.

'After a LOT of prodding! You didn't even do it willingly, neither have you really worked with us as a team! We barely know anything about you!' She yelled, jabbing a finger in his face, turning to the girls. 'Does anyone even know what his favorite color is?'

'It's blue.' Jaye piped in, and Weiss shot him a glare. Blake cleared her throat loudly.

'Umm, actually, aside from the assassins part, I've basically caused all the same problems as well.' She said, rubbing her knuckles. 'I don't see why you have to treat him differently.'

Weiss scoffed, crossing her arms, pacing around the fire. She sat down on her bedroll in a huff, crossing her legs over each other.

'There's a difference between you and him. The events, while the same, are on an entirely different scale, and you're far more readable than he is.' She picked at her nails haughtily. 'He was an assassin. You were an activist. He's part of the criminal underworld. You were part of a…misguided organization for justice. You caused tension because we were worried about you. He caused tension by beating Yang up. Need I continue?'

Yang raised her hands defensively. 'Look, it's all said and done. None of us are holding anything against him. One way or another, we're working together for the next four years. So, we've got four years to get to know him.'

She threw an arm over the silent boy, ruffling his hair. Jaye looked skeptically at the girls, and Ruby thrust a finger into the air.

'Well, I think that just about covers everything! Your fearless leader hereby declares this case to be closed!' She grinned, and Zwei barked in agreement, hopping into Jaye's lap. He scratched the dog behind the ears, and jumped as Doctor Oobleck zipped out of nowhere into the middle of the group.

'Very good children, you've all finished with your evening meal. Now, off to bed all of you! Ruby, if you would.' He declared, zipping back out of sight. Ruby resumed her position beside a hole in the wall, giving her an overwatch over the building and its surroundings. Jaye kicked his feet up onto a nearby rock, throwing his hands behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling, watching the dust and rubble trickle down in the light of the fire. He glanced over at Yang, her blonde hair glimmering in the firelight, before turning his eyes to the flame.

The tongues of fire danced wildly, flickering in the slight breeze that blew through every so often. The wisps of fire curled about each other, devouring the wood like termites. He tossed another stick in, watching the sparks fly. He summoned a little ice into his hand, curling the cold air around his fingertips. He watched as the ice began to melt, slowly, dripping onto his gloves, as the fire danced in the background. He glanced back at Yang again, returning his gaze to the ice dancing in his palm. He gathered his aura in his palm, and a crystalline figure shot up. Little ice Yang stood in his palm, hands on her hips, and he watched it quietly. He felt water run down his hands, and watched as the figure began to melt in his palm. He held still, letting it fall, until the figure was gone.

Clenching his fist, he rolled over, and tried to get some sleep, the warmth of the fire brushing against his cold back.

* * *

There you go. Now everything's been laid out on the table for you. Hope ya'll understand the characters better, and I hope you'll enjoy it as we continue!


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

'Blake, are you awake?' Yang rolled over in her bedroll, gazing over at the dark-haired faunus. The girl lay on her side, eyes screwed shut, arms splayed out in front of her.

'Yeah.' She whispered, unmoving, and Yang rolled onto her back, staring up at the dusty ceiling. She watched a spider crawl across the dusty cement, making its way back to its web hanging in the corner.

'Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like...what was he trying to say?'

'Maybe he was just curious.'

'You think?'

'No.'

Yang glanced down at the white-haired girl, curled up quietly on her sleeping bag. 'Weiss, are you awake?'

'Of course I'm awake!' Yang flinched slightly as the white-haired heiress hissed at her. 'You two are talking!'

She rolled over onto her side, staring at the flames dance up and down, illuminating their faces against the dusty and desolate walls. 'And I think he...When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But...it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a...moral grey area.'

'That's putting it lightly.' Blake commented, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

'Which is why I feel the need to put it right!' She hissed, sitting up from her bedroll. 'If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything! My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it.'

Blake turned away from the heiress, glancing down at her hands. She rubbed her fingers over her knuckles, clenching her fists. She stared into the fire, avoiding the other' gazes.

'All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner...named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be...not perfect for everyone.' She watched as the flames consumed a log, reducing its brown, coarse surface to ashes, spreading until the whole log was burning. 'I joined the Academy because I knew Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy...what will I–? How can I undo so many years of hate?'

'I'm sure you'll figure it out.' Yang assured her. 'You're not one to back down from a challenge Blake.'

'But I am!' She cried, clutching her hands to her chest. 'I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran. When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my...! Semblance. I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. An empty copy that takes the hit while I run away.'

The faunus girl lay there, unmoving, as the fire crackled quietly between them. Yang rolled over onto her belly, poking her pillow.

'At least you two have something that drives you. I've just kinda always gone with the flow, you know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I want to be a Huntress...not really because I want to be a hero. But because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that.' The blonde girl propped herself up on her elbow. She glanced over to the red-hooded girl, sitting by the hole in the wall, brushing a little dirt off her gauntlets.

'I'm not like Ruby. She's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said. Ever since she was a kid, she dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that that was what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today.'

'Well, she's still just a kid.' Weiss said, sitting up, and Blake shook her head.

'She's only two years younger. We're all kids.' She disagreed, sitting up as well. The girls glanced across each other, the somber atmosphere only heightened by their dark, cold surroundings.

'Well...not anymore.' Yang chuckled, grinning at the girls. 'I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a war zone and armed to the teeth?'

'It's the life we chose.' Blake replied, and Weiss cut in.

'It's a job.' She declared. 'We all have this romanticized vision of being a Huntress in our heads. But, at the end of the day...it's a job to protect the people. And whatever we want will have to come second.'

The girls smiled at each other, renewing their convictions and their beliefs. Sitting above them, on a little shelf of rock and rubble, Doctor Oobleck snoozed quietly, a small smile gracing his lips. The girls glanced over at Jaye, who hadn't seemed to budge the entire time. He was curled up, dead, on his sleeping bag, seemingly oblivious to the world.

'Do you think he's dead?' Weiss asked, and Yang gave a nonchalant shrug.

'Meh, probably. Either that or he's awake but couldn't find the right time to join in.' She dismissed, crawling over to the sleeping boy. She leaned over him, glaring at his closed eyes. 'You're awake, aren't you.'

'Course I am. Who could sleep through this racket?' He groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. 'Though admittedly I was having a REALLY pleasant dream before you lot woke me up.'

'Oh? What kind?' Yang asked, grinning at him, and Jaye shot her a mischievous smile, drawing a knee up to his chest.

'The kind you don't want to say aloud.' He laughed, and the girls glared at him.

'I do hope it didn't involve any one of us.' Weiss threatened, crossing her arms, and Jaye grinned maliciously at her.

'Course not.' He laughed. 'It involved ALL of you.'

He laughed at the heiress's disgusted glare, laying his hand over Yang's. He kissed her gently, and the two girls immediately turned away. Yang ran a hand down his chest, resting it on his thigh. They broke apart, grinning at each other.

'I'm sure you'll find a purpose.' He whispered, and Yang squeezed his hand, smiling quietly. Jaye peered over her shoulder at Blake.

'And Blake, I don't think your semblance means what you think it does.' The faunus girl looked at him curiously, and Jaye turned his gaze to the wall.

'Leaving behind a shadow of yourself…you can look at it in two ways. You _could_ take it to mean that you're predisposed to run away. OR, you can look at it as progress.' The girl looked at him like he was crazy, and he held up his hands. 'Hear me out okay? When you grow, when you develop as a person, what you were before is merely a shadow of what you are now. Leaving behind a shadow of yourself, just means that you're moving on. Past your troubles, and past your adversity. So fast that people can barely keep up, and are stuck staring at your shadow.'

Blake turned her gaze to the fire again, watching the flames dance. She scratched her ears quietly, adjusting her bow. As she did so, her fingers brushed against her fur, and she let her arms fall to her side.

'That's a strange way to interpret things.' She said, and Jaye shrugged.

'Eh, I took literature.'

'Well I doubt you're reading it right.'

'Is that so?'

'Yes.'

'Well, believe what you want. But whichever way you look at it, if your willingness to give up is a part of you that you don't think is right, then you should work to change it, rather than gripe about it. Your semblance doesn't define you. It blesses you.'

'Easy for you to say. You got a semblance that's not only useful, but doesn't exactly hold that much bad connotations on yourself.'

Jaye narrowed his eyes, his face turning dangerously dark. Blake flinched back slightly at the look, and Yang laid a hand on his shoulder.

'Jaye…' She warned, and he turned away. Staring at the wall, silence fell over the five for a moment. He took a shaky breath, eyes still fixated on the wall.

'Did you know I wasn't able to control my semblance when I was younger?' Blake glanced up at the boy, her drooping ears scrunching up her bow slightly. Jaye turned his eyes back to her, observing her quietly.

'My semblance kicked in at a very young age. I was barely seven at the time. The first time it kicked in was a disaster. I got mad, froze my entire room. Cloth, wood, metal, all of it crumbled at the touch. Frozen to the molecule.' He dropped back across his bedroll, Yang placing a hand on his stomach. He laid his hand over hers, running his fingers over her knuckles. 'That was terrifying. I would wake up some days finding my room frozen solid, and I'd be sleeping on ice. I can't feel the cold, so it never bothered me, but I almost froze the entire house once.'

Jaye got up, pacing around the fire. Blake watched him as he did, and Jaye formed a ball of ice in his hand, wisps of his aura weaving through his fingers.

'It was difficult, but it eventually stopped getting out in my sleep. I was able to bring my power under control. It was difficult, but I did it. Took a long time though. It was nearly two years before I could control it enough to sleep without fear, and even now I still sleep lightly.' He let his hand fall to his side, the ball of ice vanishing into the air. 'I wasn't born with a _good_ semblance. If anything, at the time, it was a curse. I wanted it gone. I wanted to live a normal life. But things don't always go to plan.'

'I'm sorry, I didn't know.' Blake whispered, and Jaye waved a hand dismissively.

'I'm not guilt-tripping you or anything, I'm just giving you my perspective. The point is, I didn't let it _define_ me. I was known as Niefelheim in the Faction. I was cold and merciless in battle, fighting with my very best no matter the occasion. But, I didn't let that become _who I was_.' He turned away from the girls, gripping the locket pressed against his chest. 'I still had friends, still had people I love and care about. I didn't become the cold, heartless, merciless person my semblance would represent. I didn't let myself. _What_ your semblance is doesn't matter; it's how you use it that defines you.'

'Jaye's right.' Yang chirped, raising a gauntleted fist in the air. 'Going by description, MY semblance would define me as a hot-headed lump of violence. Since it's fueled by anger, it would also mean that I'm easily triggered, and NOT a nice person to be around. Instead, I choose to look at it from another perspective.'

The blonde got up, stretching, and plopped down next to Blake, throwing an arm over her shoulder. She grinned at the dark-haired faunus girl, and Blake smiled back gently.

'Instead of focusing on the fact that I get angry, I decided to think about why I got angry. From there, the answer was simple. The things that set me off the most is seeing others, especially Ruby, get hurt. That makes me REALLY angry, and that makes me stronger.' She grinned at the dark-haired boy, elbowing Blake lightly in the gut. 'My semblance isn't just being angry, violent, and having a short fuse. Instead, I get angry because the ones I love and care about get hurt. And my desire to protect them gives me strength. I take damage and dish it back, because I would take the blows for them. Not because of revenge or any silly desire like that. Looking at it that way…I've got a really cool semblance!'

Blake smiled at the two, dropping her gaze onto her hands. She reached up, touching her bow, feeling her ears move gently underneath it, and smiled wider.

'Thanks you two. That helped a lot. I get what you mean, and I think that's a great way to look at it.' She said, hugging her knees to her chest. She turned her gaze to the boy, who was busy scratching his nose. 'Jaye…I don't really know if I can quite accept your view on my semblance just yet. I know myself and how I am; how I always have been. Until I can find a way to change myself, the nature I _know_ I have, I'll just be a coward who escapes. But, I promise I'll try.

'That's all I needed to hear.' He grinned, and the four teammates laughed quietly together. Settling down, they checked their watches.

'It's nearly time for my shift.' Yang declared, stretching her arms. She kissed Jaye goodnight, waving Ruby to her bed and taking her place beside the hole in the wall. Climbing back into their bedrolls, the other four lay down, staring into the light of the fire between them. Glancing across from him, Weiss looked as if she wanted to say something, but as soon as their eyes met, she rolled over, avoiding the confrontation, and Jaye shrugged.

' _If she wants to talk about something, she will.'_ He thought to himself, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. As he did so, he felt the cold wind blow past him, and he turned his back to it, facing the fire. Peeking through the flames, he watched Yang's hair rustle in the wind, as if the girl sitting by the wall was enveloped in fire. Stretching a hand out, he reached for the warmth he'd fallen so in love with, and sighed in comfort as he felt the heat in his palms. Pushing his bedroll closer to the fire, he basked in the warmth, sighing in content.

* * *

Jaye jolted awake, his hands flying to his weapons. Excalibur was out in a flash, and he levelled it at the wall, scanning his surroundings. Nothing was moving, save the fire, and the occasional shifting of his teammates' as they slept. His eyes swept across the dusty walls, the ever-present grime, and his snoring teammates. His eyes came across a pair of knees, and he glanced up at the blonde girl who had seemingly just finished her guard duty.

'Did I wake you? Sorry about that.' She said, and Jaye placed a hand over his eyes.

'No, sorry. Wasn't your fault. I just felt like something was wrong.' He admitted, returning his sword to the ground beside him. 'I think I'm just still a little unsettled.'

'If it's about what you told us earlier, you know we won't ever judge you for something like that.' She said, patting him on the shoulder. 'You don't have to worry about it.'

Jaye nodded in acknowledgement, hugging his knees to his chest. Yang gave him a reassuring smile, and took his hand in hers. Jaye ran his thumb over her knuckles, staring at her soft, pearly white, and surprisingly unblemished hands. For all of her training, it appeared she did still take care of her skin and nails like any typical girl her age. Still, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was wrong. Yang glanced up, staring at something, and Jaye followed her eyes to an empty bedroll. He cocked his head in confusion, finding nothing peculiar about it.

'Where's Ruby?' Yang asked, and Jaye mentally slapped himself for not realizing sooner. They only had four bedrolls between the five of them. Since one of them would always be on watch at some point, it made little sense to bring an extra. The empty roll should have tipped him off. Or under normal circumstances, it would have. Yang shot to her feet, eyes still transfixed on the empty bedroll.

'Where's Ruby?!' She repeated loudly, and the other two girls shot awake, turning their bleary eyes on the blonde girl. Doctor Oobleck shot down from his spot on the ledge, appearing in the shadowy doorway.

'Maybe she just went to the bathroom?' Jaye suggested weakly, fully aware that regardless of how irresponsible she could be, under the circumstances, it was unlikely she would do so without alerting Yang. The five turned their eyes on the doorway as a furry creature charged in through it, yipping as it did so.

'Zwei?' Yang gasped, catching the dog as it charged at her, panting. She cradled him in her arms, rubbing his furry head. He wined quietly, staring at her with worried eyes, and Blake got to her feet.

'What's going on?' She asked, still a little disoriented from having been shocked out of sleep, and Doctor Oobleck raised a finger in the air.

'Grab your weapons.' He declared, raising his thermos. 'Your leader may be in trouble.'

* * *

Chapter done! Next is the train fight!


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

* * *

The five charged out of the building, eyes on high alert, as they followed the small mutt as he charged down the street. They dashed past the empty buildings, without a grimm in sight, until they came across a familiar red and black object. Zwei skidded to a halt in front of it, sniffing it anxiously.

'Ruby's scythe!' Yang gasped, dropping to her knees to examine the deserted weapon.

'Oh no.' Blake groaned, checking their surroundings for grimm. Weiss peered over the edge of a large hole in the ground before them. Jaye analyzed it critically. It appeared to have been an inward collapse of most likely natural cause, leading down into what could only be a natural cave network or formation, one that couldn't have been achieved by human technology.

'Do you think she fell?' She wondered, and started as Doctor Oobleck apparated next to her.

'Of course…of course, of course, of course!' He yelled, grabbing at his fisherman's hat covered head. Blake and Yang jumped as he darted past them in frustration. 'How could I be so stupid?!'

'Doctor Oobleck, what's wrong?' Yang hissed, and Doctor Oobleck halted on the spot, throwing his head backwards. He zipped right into her face, causing her to jump back to avoid him.

'Mountain Glenn! Yes! An expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people, commuting to the city, the main city. Developed a subway system to the inner city. Grimm attacks increase! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into metro tunnels and what do they find?!' He yelled, jabbing a finger into each of the five students' faces in turn, finally dropping to his knees to yell his revelation to Zwei, who merely watched him in amusement. 'The South-East quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves! My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network! We're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!'

'They've been working in caves?!' Blake exclaimed, and Doctor Oobleck raised his hands in a "stop" gesture.

'No, no. Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense and unique transportation.' He explained. 'The city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom. Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start. As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival. They took up shelter beneath the city, in massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface.'

'An underground village?' Yang muttered disbelievingly. Doctor Oobleck touched a finger to his chin, observing the hole.

'In a manner of speaking, yes. A... a safe haven.' He explained, peering down into the inky blackness of the hole. 'Until...an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern...filled with subterranean Grimm. After that...the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb.'

The girls glanced across each other nervously, and Jaye grimaced in disgust. He eyed the hole with disdain, shuddering, as if the spirits of the dead were pouring out of it. His hands inched towards his swords, and Doctor Oobleck drew his thermos, extending the insulated liquid container into a short staff. He addressed the four students and one dog standing before him, setting his mouth in a grim line.

'If Ruby is down there...we must find her.'

* * *

'What in the world?' Jaye gaped slightly at the massive underground network they were now traversing. The four had entered a massive underground cavern, with ceilings higher than one could see, abandoned buildings surrounding them on all sides as they made their way down a wide road, boots crunching on gravel and dislodged tarmac. Judging from the state of decay, these building were relatively newer than the ones on the surface, and many had clear signs of recent disturbance.

He slipped slightly in a pool of water, cursing as it soaked the hem of his pants, and swatted at a mosquito that had alighted on his cheek. Doctor Oobleck glared almost imperceptibly at the ruins around them, rubbing his chin as he did so.

'It doesn't look like anyone's been here in decades.' Yang groaned, kicking at the dirt. Jaye shook his head gently.

'Tracking is never as obvious as they play it out to be in movies. You'll never find a nicely embedded footprint, or a scrap of paper, or the remains of a fire, or random items lying around. People aren't that dumb.' He said, scanning the ground. As if on cue, numerous nicely embedded footprints poofed out of nowhere in the dirt, and a scrap of paper flew into his face. Swearing violently, Jaye snatched it out of his eyes and glared at it. It was a routine order, dictating roles and job assignments for the day, commonly used by military organizations such as the White Fang. In the corner of the paper, the logo of the White Fang was emblazoned in a deep red, and Yang raised an eyebrow at the paper, sniggering as the remains of a recently put out fire appeared in one of the doorways. Jaye raised a hand in warning.

'Not one word.' He spat, and Yang punched him in the shoulder, her peals of laughter echoing in the empty drum of the ruins. The four teammates and hyperactive professor continued down the stretch, stepping over potholes and other road hazards, before rounding a corner and coming face to face with a group of White Fang members on patrol. They stood for a moment, blinking at each other, both parties unsure as to what to do, and Jaye decided to resolve the issue by punching the nearest guard in the face, serving the dual purpose of letting him vent some of his frustration from the past few hours. The poor guard, taken by (somewhat) surprise, stood little chance as he crashed through the doorway of a nearby house.

* * *

Ruby crashed to the ground, groaning more in annoyance than pain as the handle of a cane hooked itself into her collar. She felt herself being reeled across the floor, and glared up at the orange haired, bowler-hat wearing man who grinned maliciously down at her.

'Not through here yet!' He hissed, bearing down on the girl, and flinched as a gunshot sounded off in the distance, throwing up a cloud of dust behind a short-roofed multi-story building. He groaned in annoyance, turning to his subordinates and jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

'Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that? Kind of in the middle of something.' He said, wiggling a finger in annoyance. The lieutenant, Perry, who was curiously wearing his glasses on the outside of his mask, bowed slightly in acknowledgement, and branched off to deal with the disturbance. They flinched again as another shockwave spread through the ground, and Torchwick waved his arms in exasperation.

'What is going on here?!' He demanded, squinting as numerous White Fang members rounded the corner of the building, clearly fleeing from something dangerous. As he watched, the colorful group of students and one hyper professor charged out after them. He growled in annoyance as Ruby leaped atop of his head, using his momentary distraction to jam his bowler hat down over his eyes. She darted down the road at breakneck pace, making desperately for the group. Torchwick raised his cane, glaring down at the girl, the targeting reticle on the bottom popping up as he did so.

'Somebody kill her!' He screamed, opening fire on the red-hooded girl. Ruby weaved back and forth, her small stature making her a challenging target to hit, and the orange haired man wrenched his cane in anger, nearly snapping it in half.

'Attach this car and spread the word! We're starting the train.' He declared to the nearest White Fang member, who stared at him incredulously.

'But we're not finished!' He protested, and Torchwick whirled on him in anger, jamming his cane into the Faunus's throat.

'Do it, or you're finished!' He hissed, letting the man drop to the ground, clutching his throat for air.

Ruby skidded to a halt as a White Fang patrol force drew its guns on her. She raised her hands in a desperate plea of survival and blanched slightly as they erupted into flames.

'Ruby!' Yang cried, gathering her sister into her arms. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine! I'm fine!' She placated, pushing herself out of Yang's grasp. 'But listen! Torchwick's got all sorts of weapons and robots down there! Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars.'

Doctor Oobleck waved a hand in disbelief as Blake handed the girl back her weapon.

'That's ridiculous! These tunnels have been sealed! The tracks lead to a dead end.' He exclaimed, and they flinched as a voice sounded over a PA system.

'Get to your places, we are leaving now!' Yang waved a hand at the contraption of iron and steel.

'Well it sounds like they're going somewhere.' She stated, and Ruby pulled out her scroll.

'We need backup! Let me call Jaune.' The device beeped uselessly in her hand, and she grimaced. 'I can't get through!'

'So what do we do?!' Weiss asked helplessly, and Doctor Oobleck addressed the five teammates with determined eyes.

'I believe we only have on option.' He declared, and Ruby cocked Crescent Rose.

'We're stopping that train.'

* * *

'Boss! They made it on the train!' Torchwick scowled as the door opened and a masked White Fang member stuck his head in.

'Then grab some cargo and get them off the train!' He swore, and the Faunus nodded his understanding, backing quickly out of the door. He rolled his eyes, touching a finger to his forehead. 'Manic animals, every one of them!' He cursed, turning sheepishly to the Faunus operating the train next to him. 'Not you though, you're great.'

* * *

'Hurry, children! We must get to the front and stop this train!' Doctor Oobleck hurried as they clambered onto the roof of the train. Jaye swayed unsteadily as the metal contraption bounced and jostled underneath his feet. He slipped as a particularly hard bounce sent him off his feet for a moment, giving him a miniature heart attack.

'Uh...Professor? What's that?' Weiss called, her hand resting on the edge of a roof hatch. The hyperactive Doctor zipped over to her instantaneously.

'Doctor.' He cautioned, observing the contents of the train she had pointed out. A rectangular metal canister sat atop a pile of crates inside the train car, numerous multi-colored wires sticking out of it. Touching a finger to his chin, Doctor Oobleck let out a gentle puff of air.

'That my dear, appears to be a bomb.' The girls jumped back in fear, and Jaye snarled in fury, slapping his swords onto his back. He dug through his jacket, yanking out a bomb disposal set and immediately went to work on the cables.

'We've got baddies!' Ruby pointed out, and Jaye swore as a line of Faunus emerged from the further carriages, clambering slowly onto the roof as the constant movement threatened to throw either of the groups off the locomotive.

'Well I didn't expect them to go –' Doctor Oobleck started, before a heart-stopping "beep" resounded from the device. 'Easy on us.'

They glanced at the beeping explosive, glaring at Jaye. He threw an arm up in exasperation.

'Well **I** didn't set it off.' He spat, rolling his eyes, and Doctor Oobleck raised a finger pointedly in the air.

'Time to go!' He yelled, and the group leaped from the train car. He placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, turning the girl towards him.

'Blake! Detach the caboose! It'll kill us all!' He said, and Blake nodded her assent. Leaping down from the car, she raised her blade in preparation to sever the attachment, but stumbled as the car detached itself, jostling her in the process. Teetering on the edge of the platform, she righted herself and leapt back onto the roof.

'It decoupled itself!'

'What?'

'I guess he _really_ doesn't want us on this train.' Yang cut in, firing off Ember Celica at the approaching assailants. The three flinched as the train car exploded behind them, and Doctor Oobleck watched, horrified, as bits of the support pillars and the roof began to fall down, holes forming in the cavern walls as they did so.

'That's not good.' He murmured, scanning the vast expanse of the deserted tunnel. He racked his brain desperately, a horrifying thought forming in his mind as realization began to dawn upon him.

'Neither is this!' Ruby called, holding open the hatch into another car, and Blake blanched in incredulity.

'Another bomb?!' She yelled, and Doctor Oobleck dashed ahead to the next car, yanking open the hatch, his mouth forming a grim line as his suspicions were confirmed.

'THEY ALL HAVE BOMBS!' He yelled, and Jaye glanced back at the tracks where the previous car had exploded. He noticed the hole gaping in the wall, and stumbled as the car jolted underneath his feet, pulling slowly away from the rest of the train. The four leapt to the next car as it slowed down, eventually crashing off the rails and exploding as well, creating another hole in the cavern sides. Jaye glared at the holes as subterranean grimm began to pour out of them and onto the tracks, and his eyes widened in shock and realization.

'This doesn't make any sense!' Yang stomped her feet in exasperation, and Jaye shook his head grimly.

'No, it does.' He said darkly, and the girls turned to him. Jaye locked eyes with the Doctor, both having come to the same realization. Their thoughts were cut short as more Faunus poured out form the hatches in the train cars, raising guns and other weapons in their direction. They charged the opposing forces, carving through them with little difficulty. Doctor Oobleck watched as the next train car exploded as well, blowing a hole in the ceiling as they began to reach the surface, grimm pouring in through the holes, flooding the passageway with them.

'HE'S LEADING GRIMM OT THE CITY!' He yelled, waving his arms desperately in the air. Weiss turned to look, aghast, and Jaye cut into the explanation.

'It's the cars! They detach and explode to create openings for the grimm!' He yelled, stabbing a White Fang member and knocking him off the train. He glanced back as yet another car detached itself, and Doctor Oobleck hopped over to safety as it crashed off the rails.

'That's insane!' Blake yelled, and Jaye growled in annoyance, charging towards the head of the train. The others followed his lead, dashing over the rusty metal roof and leaping across just as other cars detached themselves and rolled away.

'You three! Go below and try to stop those bombs!' Doctor Oobleck yelled, and Yang, Blake and Weiss nodded their assent. Ruby turned back to the Doctor, grabbing Jaye's arm as he tried to run ahead.

'What about us?!' She asked, and Doctor Oobleck pushed up his glasses, placing his hands on his hips.

'We're going to stop this train!' He said, and Ruby cut in, frowning in confusion.

'Yeah, I know. I said that earlier.'

* * *

END. Hope you guys are having fun reading this as we go along. I know some of yall want me to move on to the more exciting bits that everyone wants to see, like the Vytal Tournament and other stuff, especially since volume five is now done, but I don't intend to skip too much. Things WILL speed up after this, I promise.


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32. Oh gosh this is so rushed. I hate army dammit, it messes up my schedule. I apologize in advance, as chapters are gonna come out at SNAIL PACE.

* * *

'I guess this is what we trained for.' Yang said to herself, adjusting her gauntlets. The girls paused inside the train car, letting their eyes adjust to the light. Weiss pulled a cartridge of dust out of her waist-pouch, handing it to the ribbon-haired girl.

'Here, this should help.' She said, and Blake accepted it obligingly. She slid it into Gambol Shroud, cocking the weapon and cycling briefly through the dust crystals inside. She returned the weapon to her back, stalking down the corridor. They kept their eyes peeled, double-checking every corner and every shadow for enemies. They started slightly as someone dropped down from the ceiling, and Yang growled in aggression.

Neo straightened languidly, one hand on her hip, her parasol dangling lightly from the other. She smirked, her eye colors flicking back and forth, and Yang scowled at her. The blonde girl stepped forward, squaring up to the much smaller girl, balling her hands into fists at her side.

'You two go on ahead, this one's mine.' She hissed, extending Ember Celica. The other two girls nodded, slipping past the new arrival. Neo stepped forward as they approached, raising her parasol to intercept them, and was forced to backflip out of the way as a fireball crashed into the floor where she had been standing. Neo smirked back at the girl, unconcerned with the two that had gotten past, spinning her parasol lazily as the blonde approached her. They squared up, and Yang stared down at the diminutive girl. Neo blinked, her eyes changing color again, the smirk never leaving her face.

* * *

Above The Train

* * *

Jaye crashed into the floor, bashing his knees into the roof of the train once more. He swore as the stinging pain jolted through his legs, and he was sure his knees would be completely bruised over by the time they were done here. He rolled out of the way as a massive robot arm crashed into the roof where he'd been kneeling, scrambling to his feet and swinging wildly at the joints of the mech he was fighting. Ruby, Jaye and Doctor Oobleck were currently engaged in combat with numerous units of the prototype mecha suits that Torchwick had gotten his hands on, and they were proving difficult targets to deal with. Jaye swore as his sword glanced off the metal plating again, doing no damage to the machine. His weapons and skills were next to useless in situation like this.

' _Dammit! I can't figure out a way past this.'_ He thought to himself. Ironically, the fact that he was such a good assassin was hindering him here, as his weaponry and skills had been developed to fight people, not creatures or mechs. His ability to deal damage with pinpoint accuracy was doing him no good, as he lacked the destructive power to penetrate the thick, reinforced armor plating. He threw ice at their feet, and one of the mechs slipped off the roof, scrambling desperately at the side of the car to regain its position. The others waded over the ice, crashing through it easily, and Jaye swore again as they opened fire. He raised a wall of ice, ducking behind it as bullets began to rain into its surface, and he clutched his hands to his head, searching desperately for a way out.

A miniature explosion sounded, and one of the mechs went flying off the roof, tumbling into the rails with a resounding crash. Jaye peeked over his ice wall at his two team members, and Ruby grinned at him, slashing at the knee joints of one of the mechs, taking a sizeable chunk out of its armor. Once more, her scythe was proving a useful weapon to have around.

'Thanks guys. You're a pretty good fighter Doctor Oobleck.' He complimented, and Doctor Oobleck shrugged.

'Do remember that I _am_ , in fact, a licensed huntsman.' He said, tipping his hat and charging the rest of the mechs. 'You two! Go on ahead!'

Ruby turned back to the Doctor, pleading her case, but he cut her off with a look.

'Don't worry Ruby, it's time I taught them a lesson.' He declared, and Jaye nodded to him. Grinning at the Doctor for the first time, he grabbed Ruby by the arm and charged down the train roof. They skidded to a halt as they neared the end, and Jaye grimaced at the sight. In front of them, blocking their path, stood a man clad in red, a katana and wakizashi dangling listlessly from his fingers. Jaye's scowl turned into a snarl as he unsheathed his weapon.

'What are you doing here Damian.' Jaye spat, and the red-clad man laughed, a sharp and coarse laugh that chilled Ruby to the bone. He stood, smiling easily, beckoning the two on.

'Why wouldn't I be here? Why do you think I came to assassinate you so many weeks ago?' He said nonchalantly, spinning his blades in his hands. Jaye's expression darkened further as Damian took a step forward, and he raised his blade to meet him.

'So the Faction IS in on this. Thanks for clearing that up.' He spat, levelling Excalibur with the blood-red man's face. Damian grinned a white, glimmering grin, his dark spiky hair waving in the wind of the tunnel.

'You'd be pretty stupid to NOT realize we're a part of this. How else could someone like Torchwick get ahold of goods like those mechs you just fought?' He grinned wider, his sharp features reminiscent of a snake, his white grin creating the image of a cobra ready to strike. Jaye's eyes flicked to Ruby, his mind racing, trying to find a way to get her to safety before the ensuing dual happened. His thoughts were interrupted by Damian's voice.

'Either way, you're not getting to the control room. My associates are down inside ensuring your teammates won't get through. Torchwick seems to be especially concerned about this "Blake" character, but personally I think he's an idiot.' He said, resting his katana on his shoulder. 'You're a much bigger threat.'

'So what? They hired you to kill me?' Jaye spat, glaring at his former teammate, and Damian laughed aloud, almost doubling over.

'No, of course not. Practically no one outside the Faction knows your face, and the ones that DO are a little too _dead_ to be of any concern. They know your codename of course, _Niefelheim_ , but they have no idea who YOU are. To Torchwick, Jaye Ryder is just another ex-member of the Faction turned to the righteous path. No one of concern. Of course, I know better.' He said, leering at the two, and Jaye set himself protectively in front of Ruby. Damian paced around the roof, stopping at the very edge, staring down at the tracks.

'But still, contract or not.' He murmured, whirling around. Jaye raised his blade to the ready and flinched as Damian's sword crashed into his with astounding force. He skidded back slightly, pushing Ruby back with his free hand and grasping the handle of his blade. Pushing back, he strained against the red-clad man, and Damian peered over the interlock of steel.

'I'D KILL YOU ANYWAY.' He howled, a mad glint in his eye, and Jaye shoved him away. Damian slid across the roof, digging a blade into it to slow his movement, and Jaye seized the opportunity to draw Caliburn. The two darted towards each other, weapons clashing, and Ruby dashed around them, heading for the front of the train. Damian turned to her, rushing after the girl, but Jaye cut in front of him, stopping his movement.

'Your fight is with me!' He yelled, kicking Damian in the gut and pushing him back. The red-clad assassin threw back with a flurry of blows, taking advantage of his greater speed to blitz Jaye. Jaye grimaced as he felt a few of the strokes connect, and his Aura shield fizzed in response. Knocking the man back, he loosed a mixture of sword strikes and kicks into his body, and Damian found himself being pushed to the edge of the roof. Swinging his blade down, Jaye felt his shoulder jar as his blade crashed into Damian's, and they fought for dominance on the edge of the train car. He pushed hard, and felt Damian topple backwards. He swore as the man grabbed his collar, hanging off him to prevent his fall onto the deadly tracks below. Damian struck back with his wakizashi, and Jaye met it with Excalibur. He glared at Damian and spun on the spot, gripping the man's arm and throwing him over his head in an improvised Sode Tsurikomi Goshi. Damian crashed into the roof and spun on his back, sweeping Jaye's legs out from under him. The two flipped to their feet and struck back with their blades without missing a beat.

Ducking a sword strike, Jaye spun into a tornado kick to spinning hook kick combination, slashing at the end, and caught Damian off guard with a spinning back kick follow-up. Damian tanked the blow, using Jaye's recovery window to throw an elbow into his head. Jaye crashed to the ground, swiping at Damian's ankles with his sword. Damian evaded them easily, springing back out of reach. Putting his back to the front of the train, Damian jumped as Jaye scrambled to his feet. Jaye cried out in shock as Damian suddenly hurtled towards him, crossing his swords to block the blow. The katana smashed into them, the impact somehow blasting Jaye off his feet. He flipped fully before smashing face down into the roof, gasping in pain as the shock ran through his body. He rolled aside as a katana jammed into the metal where his head had been, and ducked another slash. Leaping into the air, Damian stretched his leg out in a flying back kick, and Jaye crossed his forearms to block the blow. He frowned slightly as a flash of red appeared in front of Damian's foot, and he was once more blasted completely off his feet, spinning wildly through the air before crashing into the cold steel roof. He wheezed as he got to his feet, clutching his forearms where he'd blocked the blow.

' _How is he so strong?! I should be able to easily block his blows!'_ He thought, and glared as Damian grinned devilishly at him again. He ducked a flying sword strike, and narrowly ducked under another aerial kick, and his eyes widened as he realized what was going on. Damian was attacking to push past him and get to the other side of the train, where his back would be facing the front. Then when he threw attacks from that direction, he would leap into the air and form a platform beneath him, freezing him in midair. But since they were on a moving train, Jaye would keep moving while Damian was grounded in the air, and it would be like Jaye was hurtling at the speed of a train into Damian's attacks. By facing down Jaye in that manner, his attacks from that side of the train would have the power of the train's movement itself. Jaye cried out again as Damian's kick connected once more, and he went flying into the roof once again. He swore as he realized the damage that had already been done, his realization coming too late, and his aura, already low from his battle with the mechs, had been nearly depleted just to save him from those attacks. He could only take a few more blows before its protection would fail, and that would spell his doom.

The sealed doors of the entrance to Vale loomed ahead, closing in on them rapidly as the train continued to pick up speed. The rest of the girls clambered out of the train car behind them, having finished their battles, and charged up to meet them. They formed a line in front of Jaye, standing against the red-clad man. They stared him down, and Damian afforded a cursory glance behind him. He grinned at the massive metal doors, and laughed as they crept closer, sheathing his blades. He turned his gaze back to Jaye, and Yang raised her fists in challenge.

'Looks like our time is up Jay bird. Hope you had as much fun as I did.' He said, snapping his fingers, a portal opening behind them far down the tracks. He laughed, grinning at the team standing before him.

'I hope you survive this. It'll be boring if you don't.' He said, grinning as the portal shot towards him. He backflipped in the air, kicking off a pad and spinning into line with the portal. The portal passed over him, and they both vanished without a trace. Jaye swore at the no-longer-present asshole, whirling around to face the impending doors. He glanced across the girls, and Yang turned desperately to Jaye.

'What do we do?!' She pleaded, and Jaye stared at her, shaking his head. Nothing he'd trained for had prepared him for this. He was completely and utterly lost.

'I don't know.' He murmured, and Yang's face turned to despair. They returned their gaze to the impending wall and braced for impact. Spinning on the spot, Weiss jammed Myrtenaster into the ground before them, cocooning them in ice, and Jaye simply stood, bracing, as they crashed through the doors. He felt the impact, felt himself fly through the air, his aura fortification fizzing out, and cried out as he hit the ground. He slammed into something sharp and jagged, and he grit his teeth against the pain. Ears ringing, head spinning, he tried in vain to get to his feet.

Then everything went black.

* * *

'Jaye! Jaye wake up!' A muffled voice broke through the darkness as he felt himself being jostled back and forth. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and felt a stab of pain as he tried to do so. Ironically, that helped wake him up, and he slowly dragged himself back into consciousness. His vision swam, Yang's face barely distinguishable as she continued to shake him.

'Jaye! Wake up! We need you!' She yelled, shaking him furiously. Jaye groaned as he attempted to decipher her words. It was like his ears were filled with cotton.

'The grimm are pouring into the city!' She yelled, pulling him upright. He promptly dropped back down again, and she caught him around the waist, dragging him back up. 'We need to protect the civilians!'

Jaye wheezed, slamming his hand down onto a nearby fragment to steady himself. Yang turned back to the battle, surveying the damage. Team JNPR had entered the battle, as well as Sun and Neptune, while Weiss, Blake and Ruby had already jumped into the fray, and Yang was intent on joining them. She glanced back at Jaye, who was still in no condition to fight, and he waved her off.

'Go.' He mumbled, waving his hand at her. 'I'll be fine in a bit. Just need a minute.'

Yang nodded her thanks, running down the street to engage the beasts. Jaye watched her leave, and watched as she dived headfirst into a pack, vanishing in between the teeth and claws. Once he was sure she'd gone, he instantly collapsed against the rock, clutching his midriff. He grasped at his side, peeling his shirt up, and groaned as he felt it stick to his skin, the dark red viscous liquid staining his black shirt even darker. He placed a palm over it to stem the blood flow and cursed as a jolt of pain rocketed through him.

'Ah fuck.' He swore, and flinched as a gust of wind blew over him, ruffling his hair. He glanced up at the source, eyes widening as a massive ship breached the horizon above him. It crept out over the rooftops, its silver plating glinting in the sunlight, and an army of smaller ships poured out around it. They surrounded the grimm, bullets pouring out over the horde, and the girls dived for cover. Their initial gun run over, the ships opened their rear hatches, mechanized atlas troopers leaping down from them. They scoured the streets, shooting and suppressing grimm, giving the girls a chance to recover.

An Ursa was knocked off its feet by a flying kick, and Mercury appeared, grinning, with Emerald and Cinder in tow. They dived into battle, and Jaye frowned at the three. They seemed to be on their side, at least for now, but Jaye couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't what they seemed. A bark resounded from the crater, and Zwei dived out form the hole, promptly headbutting a nearby grimm to the ground, barking in glee. Another gust of wind chafed Jaye, and he glanced p at the newly arrived airship. In the hanger stood Professor Port, as well as a group he recognized from before their trip. The girl in gaudy, expensive clothes stood at the front, with the bunny-eared girl and her other teammates behind. She leaned over the edge of the airship, grinning down at the unfolding battle, and took a flying leap off the edge. Hitting the ground with a resounding crash, the four members promptly engaged in battle. The tall armored boy, Yatsuhashi, drew his blade, slamming it into the ground. The ensuing shockwave blew the surrounding grimm off their feet tumbling them over the area. Jaye swore as rubble hurtled towards him, ducking for cover as numerous pieces flew his way, and he swore as a pebble hit him in the forehead. He ducked again as an Ursa Major spike crashed into the concrete where his head had been, and he glared at the dark-skinned fighter who had exploded the grimm. The gaudy clothed girl stepped forward a wide grin on her face.

'Nice hustle fox.' She complimented, running her hand over the boy's ass in appreciation. 'Good job.'

Jaye stared, a little stunned by the role reversal, and blinked in surprise as she proceeded to bore down on a massive grimm, pushing up her sunglasses.

'You just destroyed my favorite clothing store.' She declared, spitting at the beast. 'Prepare to die.'

The beast snarled, swinging its massive claws at her. She swatted the paw aside with her handbag and kicked it square between the legs. The beast bounced off its feet for a moment, hands clutched to its groin, and Jaye raised an eyebrow at the rather unorthodox area of attack. She fought off numerous more grimm, and the bunny-eared girl stepped in to help, pulling a box off the back of her waist. The girl held a hand out, stopping her.

'Hey, you spent all semester building that up! Don't waste it here.' She admonished, and the faunus girl nodded, stepping back out of reach. The gaudy-clothed girl raised her handbag, and it opened to reveal a massive barrel. It extended from the bag, a cylindrical magazine popping out from the bottom, and she proceeded to mow down the grimm with it. The bullets poured out like rain over the grimm, even taking out numerous aerial grimm as well. Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck joined in the battle as well, mowing down a horde of grimm in a matter of minutes. Jaye started as the cement block he was crouched behind flew into the air, following its path back to the breach in the city. The bits of cement slammed back into place in the previously destroyed area, reforming the road and the face of a nearby shophouse, and he realized that professor Goodwitch must have arrived. The hole finally sealed, the rest of the teams proceeded to clean up the remaining grimm, and Jaye leaned against a nearby street lamp for support. The concrete no longer in the way, the faunus girl, Velvet's, eyes alighted on Jaye. She ran over to him, eyes filled with concern, and Jaye flinched away as she arrived.

'Are you okay?' She asked, reaching out for his shirt, and Jaye attempted weakly to swat her hands away. Ignoring his attempts to get rid of her, she peeled the stained red mess away from his side, gasping at the jagged hole just beneath his ribs. She placed her hands over it, pushing down on it and relieving Jaye of his exertion. He groaned in pain, leaning his head against the lamp post, and glanced down at the brown haired girl.

'Thanks.' He murmured, and Velvet smiled widely at him, her ears wiggling in glee.

'No problem. You helped me before, so I'm just returning the favor!' She said, and Jaye rolled his eyes.

'I just did that on impulse. You don't have to think anything of it.'

'But either way you helped me. That was very nice of you, and I can't possibly bear to see someone like that get hurt.'

'…Do what you want I guess.'

'That I will.' She said, and giggled at Jaye's scowling face. The two glanced up as the medics arrived, and Velvet obligingly let them take over. She waved at the brooding boy as she left, bowing slightly to him as she regrouped with her team, and Jaye watched them as they loaded themselves onto an airship and flew back towards Beacon. He grinned as a boatload of cussing erupted from a nearby airship, and laughed as Torchwick was loaded, noisily, onto an Atlas airship, presumably to be taken off to prison.

Having finished treating his wound, Jaye promptly cussed out the medics as they attempted to load him into an ambulance and opted instead to jump onto an airship with his team instead. Yang nudged him as they took off, grinning at the boy.

'You sly bastard. After all that talk about working things out with me, you go ahead and start on another girl already? And Velvet too!' She cried, placing a hand over her heart in mock horror. 'I can see the appeal though. She's gorgeous, and those bunny ears are a cuteness overload.'

Jaye rolled his eyes, shoving the blonde, and she retaliated by kissing him on the cheek. He turned away from her, rolling his eyes as he felt her grin into the back of his head.

'You can't beat me at this game little boy; I know your weakness! It's a critical hit bargain sale with me!' She giggled, kissing him again, and Ruby made a retching sound at the couple, grabbing at Weiss for support. The white-haired heiress neatly evaded her, pushing her face into the wall of the airship.

* * *

On The Edge Of Beacon's Airship Platform

* * *

'Well, we did it.' Yang murmured, gazing out at the sunset cresting the horizon, her boots thudding dully into the metal platform beneath her, hanging dangerously over the edge of the platform.

'We did it.' Blake echoed, smiling at the blonde girl, and Weiss raised a finger in the air.

'If we don't get extra credit for that, I'm going to be seriously disappointed.' She said, and Yang rolled her eyes.

'Weiss, a two-headed snake literally crushed a bakery. I wouldn't count on it.' She said, and Ruby twiddled her thumbs, staring into her lap.

'Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything. A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't even know why they did this, or who that mystery girl was.' She bemoaned, anxiousness clear on her face. Weiss watched the girl quietly, shaking her head.

'Well, not every story has a neat and tidy ending.' She consoled the girl, and Blake nodded in agreement.

'We might not have all of the answers, but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars. And I think that's something we can be proud of.' She agreed, and Ruby smiled, nodding in assent.

'Yeah! And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be there to stop them.' She grinned at her teammates, and Jaye rolled his eyes at the girl. He glanced back at the sunset in the distance, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face, and smiled despite himself. Yang dropped down across the floor, yawning.

'Yay. Teamwork, camaraderie, good guys, go team, alright good job.' She muttered tiredly, waving her arms in the air. 'So, what now?'

'I'd suggest training for the tournament, but...I think we have that covered at this point.' Weiss said, touching a finger to her chin, and Jaye shrugged nonchalantly, dropping down across the platform as well, and Blake scratched her ears quizzically.

'So then…' She pondered, and Ruby cocked her head to the side.

'Uh…time for bed?' She broached, and the five team members chorused in assent, gathering themselves off the platform and making their way back to the dormitories.

'I'm going to sleep forever.' Yang groaned, and Jaye yawned in response.

'Seconded.'

* * *

And now comes the Vytal Festival! Heads up guys, we're getting close to the fall of Beacon. And for the record, I don't really plan on writing close to script for volume four! So after this, I'm going to do my best to churn out an original story arc to wrap up at least some of Jaye's problems.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

* * *

'Hey mom, sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been…Well, things have been pretty busy.' Ruby gazed quietly down at the grey gravestone at her feet. It was a simple affair of grey stone, with a symbol of a rose imprinted on its surface. Emblazoned beneath it was a memento, written in cursive, _Thus Kindly I Scatter_. A remembrance for one who'd been lost. She was alone, in a small clearing near the edge of a cliff, past a small expanse of trees leading down from the sturdy wooden cabin that was their home. The small-statured girl pushed back her hood silently.

'Oh! Dad's here too. He's, you know...dad.' She rolled her eyes affectionately, smiling down at her mother. 'He's still teaching at Signal, but he told me he's going to be going out on some mission soon. I think he misses adventuring with you.' She twiddled her thumbs. 'I miss you too.'

Ruby crossed her arms in front of her, gripping her wrist tightly, swallowing down the lump in her throat. 'Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! So that's cool. I think being on a team with Yang helps. I keep her in line.' Her face fell slightly, smiling gently at the stone marker. 'That was a joke. She's actually a really great fighter, you can tell she's learned a lot from Dad. Well so are Weiss and Blake. And Jaye.'

The girl's face lit up as she realized she forgot something. 'Oh! They're my teammates. Together, we form Team RRWBY! And yes, before you ask, that _does_ cause a lot of confusion, and yes, we _are_ currently the only odd-number team.'

'Yang's dating Jaye at the moment. Oh and yeah, Jaye's a boy. I know you and Dad are probably concerned about me and Yang rooming with a boy, but I assure you there's nothing to be worried about! Well, not yet anyway. I mean, he technically _is_ a criminal…Oh but he's not a bad guy, honest!' She waved her arms frantically in front of her, before realizing the gravestone couldn't see her, and let them fall to her side. 'I know that makes you worried, but he's helped us a lot! He's a really, really, really strong fighter! Honestly, he's so strong it's a little scary, but he actually doesn't do that well against grimm.' She giggled, putting a finger to her mouth. 'I think it's cuz he's too used to fighting people.'

'It wasn't perfect; we had a few uh…bumps in the road, but we can trust him. He's pulled through when it counted, and he's opened up to us a lot. I think Yang's in good hands, and I'm sure you'd love him if you met him!' She twiddled her thumbs, bouncing up and down on her heels.

'Anyways, uh, I made a bunch of new friends, and I met some...let's just say, odd teachers.' She involuntarily thought about Doctor Oobleck, zipping around, and Professor Port with his ridiculous stories, and shuddered a little, grinning nervously. 'Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys too! I guess it's like they say: Like mother, like daughter. I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But uh, I guess he'll tell me one day.' She frowned quizzically. 'You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he starts sounding like Uncle Qrow.'

The girl jolted a little as Zwei barked in the distance, waving at her father coming down the pathway.

'Oh! Look's like Dad's back. I gotta go! He's dropping me off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission!' She grinned down at the tombstone, the somber mood broken and her high spirits finally returned. 'Wish me luck!'

Ruby pulled her hood over her head, the red cloth covering her hair and obscuring the gentle tears running down her cheeks. She wiped them away, pausing halfway along the path. She turned back, gazing wistfully at the stone resting in its tranquil spot on the edge of the cliff, silhouetted against the rising sun, maple leaves falling in a gentle shower around it.

'It was good to talk.'

* * *

Now that we're here, I wanna take a minute to deliver a personal message.

R.I.P Monty Oum

Thank you for the wonderful memories.

I hope those who have taken up this daunting task in your stead will live up to what you've created.

* * *

Beacon Academy

* * *

The sounds of cheering erupted through the air, audible even from the school grounds and nearly drowning out the sounds of battle as the Vytal Festival continued on. Resounding from the Amity Colosseum, floating in the sky above the academy, the cheers shook the very ground as the eight students in the ring continued to battle for victory.

'O-HO! It seems we have another astonishing bout ahead of us! Wouldn't you agree, Professor?' Professor Port leant over his dashboard as he commentated on the match. Currently in the commentator's booth with Doctor Oobleck, the two teachers had been tasked with giving a commentary on the proceedings of the match. Seated in the audience, Jaye flinched as Professor Port's obnoxious voice was broadcasted all over the arena.

'Doctor.' Doctor Oobleck cautioned in an irate voice, clearly miffed with the improper title placed upon him. 'And yes, Peter, I think it's safe to say this match may be one of the closest we've seen in the four-and-four round of the tournament!'

'For those of you just now joining us, welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament! Broadcast live from the Amity Colosseum! Now, let's get back to the match between Team RWBY of Beacon versus Team ARBN of Haven!'

Jaye, as one of the members of the few odd-numbered teams, was, in the name of equity, unable to participate in the tournament due to the four-on-four rule. Thus, they as a team had drawn lots to see who would be taking part, and Jaye had clearly drawn the short straw. Just his luck. On top of that, he'd been the first to draw, meaning his luck was so crappy that out of five straws he'd managed to pick the only short one, out of five choices. He groaned in annoyance as he watched his team members duke it out with the opposing team.

On the other hand, the girls had also judged it the fairest to have him out of the match, considering he could have gone into the match alone and still won. Possibly completely untouched.

'Now if only you were THIS good at fighting grimm.' Ruby had jested, elbowing him, and he swore angrily under his breath on his recollection of that comment.

Then again, she wasn't exactly wrong. His skill set was almost completely devoted to fighting other human beings, so when it came to giant monsters…he was a little out of his element. Not that he'd lose but, well, even Ruby could rack up a better kill count than him. Jaye swore under his breath as he watched the match, brooding silently in the stands as the buzzer sounded for the end of the match. Professor Port's voice sounded loudly over the announcement system.

'Team RWBY is victorious!'

* * *

The match ended, the five trudged through the fairgrounds, talking excitedly about their next match. Jaye glanced about the area. It was a well adorned area, with stalls as far as the eye could see, and he smelled a delicious aroma wafting from nearby. His stomach rumbled quietly in response, and he hope no one had heard that.

'Is anyone else starving?' Ruby asked, hanging her arms almost to the point of touching the ground. Blake stood, hands behind her head, grinning at the girl.

'I may have worked up an appetite.' She admitted, and blushed a deep crimson as her stomach growled fiercely in response, glancing nervously at her teammates. Jaye raised an eyebrow at the beet red girl.

'Gee, if only there were somewhere on campus to get food around here.' Weiss piped, waving her hands in mock despair. 'Oh wait.'

'It's okay, Weiss. I forget about the fairgrounds too.' Ruby laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. Jaye raised an eyebrow at the red-clad girl, but said nothing as the heiress adopted his expression.

'I was being facetious!' She pointed out, and Ruby threw her arms into the air.

'Well, if you were hungry, why didn't you say so!?' She squealed, and Jaye's eyebrow hit the point where it seemed like it would exit the confined of his face.

'I have no idea what "facetious" means, but it sounds like feces and I don't need that image in my head when I'm hungry.' He said, checking his wallet. 'Let's get some food.'

'Hey! Might be hard to eat without this!' Jaye turned to face the voice, and the brown-skinned, green-haired girl stood behind them, holding out a small red credit-holder. Ruby's eyes lit up, and she frantically dug through her pockets. The dark girl laughed, handing her back the holder.

'Ha ha ha, good to see you, Ruby.' She grinned, and Ruby took the purse meekly from her hand.

'Oh, thanks, Emerald! Guess I dropped it.' She laughed nervously. 'Guh, girl pockets are the worst!'

'What's up Em?' Yang called, and Emerald waved at her.

'Just left the stadium after watching your amazing fight. You guys were awesome!' She said, and Ruby waved a hand in the air, blubbering at the compliment.

'I heard your team progressed the next round, too.' Blake cut in, and Emerald nodded.

'You know, I feel like we never see your other teammates.' Weiss pondered, and Jaye gave her a knowing look.

'So yeah. Looks like Merc and I will be moving on to the Doubles round. What about you guys?' Yang pumped a fist in challenge.

'We voted for Weiss and Yang.' Blake said, patting the blonde on the shoulder. Emerald smiled at her, placing her hands on her hips.

'Well, if Mercury and I see you down the line, don't think we'll go easy on ya.' She challenged, and Yang slapped her fists together.

'Wouldn't have it any other way.' She said. The girls grinned/glared at each other, and Emerald waved goodbye. Jaye watched her quietly, and he thought he caught her facial expression drop as she turned away. His eyes followed her retreating figure, and caught the eye of Mercury. The grey-haired boy waved at him, smirking, and Jaye narrowed his eyes at him as they turned away from each other. Yang nudged him on the shoulder, and Jaye glanced at her.

'I don't like them.' He muttered, and Yang rolled her eyes.

'You don't like anybody. What's new?' She jested, earning a glare from the scowling boy. Jaye glanced back at the pair, now engaged in a conversation far away from them. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss with those two, but so far all of his digging had come up short. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, shaking his head.

' _I must be getting paranoid.'_

* * *

Done. Sorry that I can't do much work, but since I should be coming home every day now, things should get better!

I kinda feel like the quality of my content has been dropping, because I'm just sort of rushing this whole thing. So yeah, know that those of ya'll who still follow and wait for chapters, I LOVE YOU GUYS YOU KEEP ME GOING SERIOUSLY I MEAN IT AND I'M SO SORRY I CAN'T POST CONSISTENTLY.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

* * *

'Why'd she do it? Why'd she attack me?!'

The words rung in Jaye's ears at a fever-pitch, eerily haunting, as his gaze fell onto the surrounded blonde. His mouth slid open, and he drew in breaths in short, rapid bursts. He rose from his seat mutely, his hands finding the rail before him, and he grasped it tightly between his fingers. He barely noticed as ice formed around his digits, cracking beneath his skin and turning the metal so cold it creaked in his grasp. He leaned over the edge, staring down at the girl as the automated defense droids leveled their weapons at her. His first thoughts were to get her out of there, but he halted himself.

' _All that'll do is put more suspicion on her. I can't help her, not this way.'_ He grit his teeth, gripping the railing tighter. He glanced up at the screen, glaring at the recording that incriminated her hand confused him all at once. Yang stood, proudly on the monitors, her victory in hand, before cocking her arm back and firing a shell straight through the leg of the silver-haired boy.

Mercury's leg.

' _But why did she do it? Why?'_ He screamed, his lips never opening, as he continued to watch mutely from the sidelines as Yang searched desperately for help, for a way out of this desperate situation. He dropped his forehead to the railing, unable to look at her anymore. He couldn't fathom what was happening, yet the reality of it sunk into his mind like a cold, serrated knife.

' _She'd already won!'_

* * *

'You guys believe me, right?' Jaye didn't look up, keeping his eyes rooted to his kneecaps. He stiffened slightly as she asked again, her voice small and weak, so different from the voice he was used to hearing. General Ironwood had just left, after informing Yang that she had been disqualified from the tournament. Jaye sat, quietly, in his chair by the desks, his fingers interlaced as they spoke. The two younger girls chorused their assent vehemently, but Blake and Jaye stayed silent. Yang glanced across them, her eyes widening in a desperate plea.

'…Jaye? Blake?' She whispered, and the bow-headed girl glanced away.

'I want to believe you.' She said, finally, and Weiss nearly exploded with indignation.

'What's that supposed to mean?!' She spat, and Blake shook her head. Yang stopped, frozen, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched the dark-haired girl.

'Blake…?' She choked, her voice pitifully small, and Jaye flinched at it like a slap to the face. He raised his eyes to her tear-streaked face, watching her wordlessly, as Blake continued to remain lipped.

'How can you say something like that?' Weiss exploded. 'Yang would never lie to us!'

'Let her speak.' All heads turned as Jaye spoke, his low voice cutting across the room. He took a deep breath, eyes fixated on Yang, He tilted his head slightly, catching her eyes, and recoiled as she met his gaze. She watched him grimly, pleading desperately for some support in her world of confusion, and he felt his heart nearly shatter as her eyes begged him for comfort. Blake sighed, hugging her knees to her chest.

'I had someone very dear to me change.' She breathed, and suddenly her eyes went far away, staring out at something no one else could see. 'It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual.' She shook her head, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry.'

'At first, they were accidents...then it was self-defense. Before long, I even began to think he was right.' Blake paused, touching her fingers to the black ribbon nestled in her hair. She felt her ears beneath them, and took a breath, locking her eyes with Yang.

'This is all just... very... familiar.' She said. 'But you're not him. And you've never done anything like this before. So...' She let her hands fall to her sides. 'I want to trust you, I WILL trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me _he_ attacked _you_.' She set a steely gaze on the blond-haired girl. 'I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did.'

Yang sniffed heavily, rubbing her eyes. 'I saw him attack me. So, I attacked back.'

'Okay. Thank you.' Blake smiled, raising her eyes to the forlorn girl. Yang returned it, getting to her feet.

'I think I'm gonna rest up.' She said, pulling her gauntlets off, and Blake rose with her.

'We'll get out of your hair.'

* * *

'I know you're still there.' Yang said, clambering onto her bed. Jaye stepped quietly out of the corner, where he'd somehow managed to blend in with the little shadow that remained there during the day.

'Thought you could use some company.' He said, shoving his hands into his pockets. Yang watched him quietly, pulling her knees to her chest.

'Yeah. I could.'

* * *

'You're fighting in the mini-event right?'

'I was. But I don't really feel like it anymore.' Jaye murmured, pulling Yang closer to him. They sat, entwined on his bed, sinking into the pillow beneath them, wrapped in the blanket and leaning against the dashboard. Jaye had Yang bundled up between his knees, the girl lying against him, and Yang pressed herself into his chest, squeezing him tight. They continued with strained conversation, talking about pointless things. Yang took a shaky breath, gripping the hem of her shirt.

'Do you think I really was hallucinating?' She whispered, clutching desperately to him. 'Did I really do that and not know?'

Jaye stared quietly at the wall, rubbing soothing circles into her back. He pressed his lips to her head, running his fingers through her hair.

'I don't believe that.' He murmured, dropping his head onto the headboard. 'Something happened. I don't know what it was, but something happened. There's no way you somehow just hallucinated that; not when we've fought for our lives before. I doubt a tournament match could possibly compare to fighting assassins.'

'But what else _could_ have happened?!' She sat up abruptly, bringing herself level with the dark-haired boy, nearly hitting him in the chin. 'I can't think of any other reason!' Her lips trembled. 'I'm just afraid that deep down, I enjoyed doing it.'

'I just told you.' Jaye ran a hand down her cheek. 'I don't believe that.'

The blonde shook her head, setting her mass of hair waving in curls around her frame.

'But I'm afraid.' She whispered, placing her hands on his chest. 'I can't find an answer.'

'I can't either.' Jaye set his jaw in a line, fixing his gaze to hers. 'But the girl I know would never do something like that.'

Yang's mouth parted slightly, tears brimming in her eyes, and Jaye brushed them away gently. She kissed him, hesitantly, just barely brushing him, and Jaye could feel her fear and insecurity radiating as she pulled away. It was so intense it was palpable, and it clutched at his heart like an iron vice. He grasped her face, placing his hands on her cheeks, and returned her lips to his. She sank into him like putty, crumpling as the tension in her body hit its peak, and released herself to him. He felt her tears pouring out, and he hugged her tightly to himself, his lips never leaving hers, and Yang choked as she continued to cry.

Still she remained, clutching desperately to the boy she loved as her lips met his over and over again. She was desperate for help, for assurance, to somehow relieve herself of the bursting pain in her chest, and Jaye cursed his powerlessness. He just held her, letting her rest, and prayed that time would bring her peace, that he would somehow find an answer for all this. He simply held her.

And prayed.

* * *

Chapter 34 end.


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

* * *

Holy crap I can't believe we actually made it this far. Seriously though, with my horrible track record of giving up on stories because I get bored or can't think of new content I'm really surprised we're at 35 chapters. Maybe I'm writing shorter, or maybe because I'm following a series, idk. But either way, this is great, and I'm actually having fun with this. I hope you guys are enjoying this a much as I do, and I hope more people come to like this. Peace!

* * *

'This is not a tragedy.'

The feminine voice rang out over the crowd, piercing through the ears and hearts of those who heard it. In the wake of the fight, these words could hardly be considered true, as the broken body of Penny Polendina lay wasted on the tournament stage before them. On the other side stood the most unlikely of people, a girl clad in leather and armor, Pyrrha Nikos. The girl stood quiet, shocked beyond words at the horror that had displayed itself before her. The machine across her crackled and sparked, its eyes dead and lifeless. It was hard to believe that what they had been looking at, the bright and cheerful girl, was nothing more than a machine given power, technology given form. A lie of a life.

'This was not an accident. **'**

* * *

Yang placed her hands on the windowsill, her face frozen in a look of horror as she heard the cries in the distance. The horrid screeching of death and destruction. She watched as the wave of blackness closed in on their borders. Jaye scrabbled in his pocket for his scroll, flipping open the news, and swore aloud.

'And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students?' The voice came over his speaker, and he flinched at it. He recognized this voice. The black-haired woman from Haven, who'd been with Mercury and Emerald on their team. Cinder. He cursed his own foolishness, turning his eyes on the blonde girl.

'First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy. Yet I have witnessed neither.' Yang turned to face him slowly, her eyes wide, and Jaye let the scroll slip out of his hand, gathering her into his arms.

'Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded it's streets.' Zwei barked, stumping forward, and the couple gathered him into their arms.

* * *

'Or perhaps, this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting Kingdom with armed forces.' Cinder smiled to herself, her eyes glistening with victory. 'Honestly? I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know that the existence of peace is fragile. And the leaders of our Kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves.

'As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you; the situation there is...equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are at the brink of war. Yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you; when the first shots are fired.' The howling in the distance grew steadily louder, and the woman smiled, the hem of her red dress fluttering in the cold night air.

'Who do you think you can trust?'

* * *

The screens erupted into static, and Jaye picked his scroll off the floor, swearing loudly at it. He pocketed the device, grabbing Yang by the hand as the sirens began.

'Alert. Incoming Grimm attack.' The computerized voice reverberated across the Kingdom's walls. 'Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner.'

Jaye leaped out the window, Yang in tow, rolling as he hit the ground. He dashed across the school grounds, making desperately for the landing pad. He glanced at the massive tournament hall perched in mid-air beside the CCT. The screams were so loud he could hear them from where they were, and he swore again.

'Jaye!' Yang cried, and he skidded to a halt. He noticed the shadow as it fell over him, diving out of the way as a pair of claws smashed into the ground where he'd been standing. He glared up at the Ursa that snarled over him, and promptly cut its head off. He swore at the body, glancing up at the tower.

'Yang, are you okay?' Blake's voice came out loud over a speaker, and Yang pulled her scroll out of her pocket.

'I'm fine, Jaye's here too.' She said, glancing at the fairgrounds. 'Is Ruby with you? She's not answering her Scroll.'

'No, she isn't.' She halted in her tracks, meeting Jaye's gaze with wide eyes. 'Yang I'm sure she's fine. She's our leader, she can take care of herself.'

'Right.' She whispered, lowering the device. Jaye grabbed her by the arm.

'We have to move. We're no good to the others over here.' He said, and she nodded, cocking her gauntlets.

'Yeah. Let's go.'

* * *

'This can't be happening.' Blake glanced at the heiress, still holding her scroll. 'Penny...'

'I'm heading to the docks near the courtyard.' She glanced down at the device. 'White Fang are releasing Grimm into the school!'

'The White Fang is here?!' She gasped, flinching as static poured through the comms. 'Yang!'

'Got to go!' She yelled, her voice crackling in the speaker. 'Be careful!'

Blake let her hands fall to her sides. Her face was a mask of emotion; shock, horror, fear, and a bitter realism that said she wasn't really surprised. Weiss glanced desperately around at the chaos surrounding them, balling her hands into fists.

'Blake, what are we going to do?' She looked to the silent girl, and Blake raised her scroll again.

'We're going to the docks.' She said, tapping on the device. 'And we're doing our job.'

A resounding thud was heard as her locker slammed down beside her, the door hissing open to reveal Gambol Shroud, already unsheathed and at the ready. Weiss glanced at the weapon, setting her jaw in a firm line.

'Got it.' She said. 'Let's save this city.'

* * *

The Nevermore cawed ferociously, slamming its claws repeatedly into the shielding of the arena roof. It held, just barely, shimmering in response to the repeated onslaught, and people poured out of the arena like wildfire. Ruby remained, kneeling on the ground, clutching her hands to her chest as her eyes never left the broken body of the girl before her. Shredded into pieces, Penny's eyes remained blank and vacant, unseeing.

'Pyrrha!' Jaune's voice reverberated through the near empty stadium as he leaned over the railing. 'Pyrrha that thing's about to break it, you gotta move!' She didn't respond, and he hurled himself over the rail. 'Pyrrha please! Snap out of it!'

The Nevermore flapped hard, rising high above the stadium, It reeled back, folding its massive wings in on itself, and plunged towards the barrier. With a resounding crash, the shield tore open, shattering into pieces as the Grimm descending with blinding speed. It smashed into the stage, releasing a shockwave that shook the entire stadium, and Jaune and Pyrrha were blown back by the sheer force of it. They crashed into the ground, rolling to a stop, and Pyrrha desperately shielded herself as the gargantuan creature thudded towards her, howling its fury.

A flash of red shot by, embedding a sword deep into the creature's neck. It screeched in pain, reeling back from the pain, and Ruby kicked herself off the creature. She raised the blade, standing protectively in front of the armor-clad girl.

'Leave her alone!' She screamed, her voice cracking, but her face contorted with anger. She raised the sword as the Nevermore shot into the air. It bore down on her, and she raised the weapon to meet it. As she did, several lockers slammed down onto the creature's back and wings, crumpling it in on itself. It crashed into the stage, skidding to a halt in front of the tiny, trembling girl. Ruby looked up in shock as the lockers hissed open. The tournament fighters stepped atop the downed creature, retrieving their weapons and equipment. Jaune smiled down at her, and she grinned back. They wobbled as the Grimm began to rise with a shriek, and promptly went to work on its exposed body. Ren slashed at its eyes, creating an opening for Nora to bring her hammer down on its head. Hurtling down from above, Yatsuhashi and Sage crashed down on the beast's neck, their massive, heavy blades severing its head clean from its body. The beast faded away into ash, and Ruby smiled at the mass of fighters gathered before her. Giving them a thankful nod, she turned her attention to the still-kneeling girl. Pyrrha reached a trembling hand out to her, her voice catching in her throat.

'Ruby I-!' She swallowed hard, tears welling up in her eyes. She brushed her fingers against the scrap of white cloth she was holding. A piece of a dress. Penny's dress.

'I'm so sorry!' She choked, and Ruby breathed a shaky breath, her eyes downcast.

'Me too.' She answered, looking grimly at the girl. 'But it wasn't your fault.'

'She's right.' Jaune spoke, his voice ringing in the empty stadium, carrying his words over the people gathered there. 'Whoever was on the microphone, they're the ones that did this.'

He locked eyes with the girl, holding out the weapons grasped in his hands. Pyrrha glanced down at the Xiphos and shield, Miló and Akoúo, and raised her eyes to the boy's again.

'And we have to make sure they don't take anyone else.' He said, his voice stern, and Pyrrha felt courage flood into her. She took the weapons from his hands, comforted by their familiar weight and feel. Howls erupted in the air, and the group glance dup as more airborne Grimm began to pour into the stadium. They raised their weapons, bracing themselves for the fight ahead.

'Griffons.' Ren groaned, sounding disgusted, and Neptune raised his rifle.

'Anybody got a plan of attack?' He said, and Ruby turned to the blond monkey boy.

'Sun!' She called. 'I need your scroll.'

He grinned at her, using his tail to flick the device to her with a shake of his hips. She snatched it out of the air, tapping the screen, and her locker plummeted down onto the stage. She dashed for it, skidding to a halt as a Griffon landed behind it, snarling at her. She groaned as spittle flied into her face and backed up a few paces. A gunshot rang out, striking the beast in its side, and it took flight once more.

'Students.' The smoking gun lowered itself, clutched in the hands of Professor Port, flanked by Doctor Oobleck, who brandished his thermos with a grin. 'I think it would be best for you to leave.'

'But we can hel-!' Ruby started, but Doctor Oobleck cut her off with a word.

'Miss Rose!' He said. 'This day will surely go down in Remnant's history.' He smiled gently at the small girl. 'I'd prefer it if my students could live to tell about it.'

She nodded in agreement, pulling her scythe out of her locker. Spinning it open, she slammed its butt into the ground.

'Let's go!' She said, and the students charged out of the doors. Professor Port gave a booming laugh, raising his gun/axe.

'One final match, Barty! Place your bets!' Ruby glanced back at the two teachers as they left, her last view of them standing back to back, Professor Port waving his axe like a madman, as the countless Grimm closed in.

* * *

Jaye grunted as he slashed through another Grimm, burying Excalibur deep in the body of another. He brought Caliburn down onto the creature's neck, wrenching Excalibur free and loping its head off. He staggered back, catching his breath. Beside him, Yang busied herself punching her way through a horde.

'Where are we going?' He yelled, and Yang shrugged.

"Wherever!' She yelled back, punching another Grimm in the face. 'Where the fighting's the thickest! We have to protect the citizens!'

Jaye ducked a massive paw, blocking with Hesperides. The shield lay attached to his gauntlet, both his swords drawn, and he slammed the butt of his blade into a Grimm's eye. Raising the shield, he fired a chain of bullets into its head, turning the still-spinning barrel on the horde surrounding Yang. He stumbled as the ground shook beneath him, and a brutal roar sounded in the distance. The first thing he felt was the heavy beat of wings, the gusts of wind so strong it beat him against the floor. Turning up, he swore aloud as he saw the source of the wind. Sitting on the horizon, closing in on them, was a dragon.

'What the fuck?!' He yelled, stabbing a grimm. 'They have a dragon?!'

'Seems so!' Yang grunted, wresting with an Ursa. 'How bad is that?'

'Like we're fucking screwed kind of bad!' He yelled. Deflecting another claw with his free hand, he felt one smash into his back. Turning on the spot, he smashed his shield into the offender's face, cracking its skull mask, and decided that fighting was probably not the best option here.

'We need to move! We can't clear these out on our own!' He yelled, breaking through a pair of Beowolves. Yang broke off from her pack, sliding between the legs of an Ursa and coming up running. Darting past several burning houses, they slipped behind a wall up ahead and down an alley. Tripping over a pile of rubble, Jaye tumbled to the ground.

'Dammit Jaye, can't you even run straight?' Yang teased, turning back for the boy. Jaye swore loudly, picking himself off the ground. As he did so, he came face to face with a broken cellar window, and he grabbed Yang as she reached him, dragging her in with him. Crouching beneath the opening, they huddled against the wall with bated breath as the horde of grimm charged past them.

After what felt like an eternity had passed, they eased themselves slowly away from the wall. Jaye rubbed his arm where he'd dropped on it during the fall, and Yang sat heavily down on a nearby crate.

'This is a mess.' She groaned, picking dirt out of her hair. Jaye grabbed a piece of wood, wedging it into the opening to block out the view. Digging through his pockets, he produced a flashlight and switched it on, the beam falling on the dusty ceiling. He glared at the spiders dotting it as they scampered away, swatting at one that fell on his shoulder, and turned his attention to the girl.

'Where do we go now?' He asked, dropping down on an old, dusty chair. Yang shrugged, pulling out her scroll.

'I don't know. We're not really seeing that many people, so they're either evacuated or gathered somewhere safe. As for the rest, they're not answering their scrolls, meaning they're probably in the middle of battle somewhere.' She tapped on the device anxiously. 'But I can't find out where they are unless someone pings a location or something.'

Jaye sighed, dropping his head onto the backrest. He stared up at the ceiling, groaning as another spider fell on him, and gave up trying to swat it away. He watched the spider crawl its path across his chest, making its way down to his lap, and poked it curiously. Startled, it scuttled back up his chest, and he cupped it in his hands.

'Hey Yang, meet my new friend Spidey.' He said, releasing the spider into the corner. 'He's a prickly little fellow, sorta shy, but nice enough once you get to know him.'

Yang smiled at him, shivering slightly as a chill fell over her. She glanced around, confused, at the fires surrounding them, before noticing the chill creeping around her feet. She followed it back to Jaye, who was sitting quietly in the chair, watching the spider scamper about. He shook his foot restlessly, cold air pouring out of him as he watched the creature, and Yang suddenly realized how helpless he had to be feeling.

'Hey.' Jaye glanced at the girl. She smiled brilliantly at him, her eyes lighting up the room, and he watched her quietly. 'We'll find them. Don't worry so much.'

Jaye returned the smile, his gaze lingering on the curves of her cheeks, before she raised a hand. He followed her eyes to the cellar window, raising an eyebrow.

'Do you hear that?' Jaye glanced out the small gap that remained, his eyebrow continuing even higher. A faint thudding sound could be heard, just barely over the roar of the fire. Yang's eyes lit up like fireworks.

'That sounds like a gatling gun.' She said, rising from the crate. 'There's only one person I know that uses one of those.' She turned to the boy.

'Let's move.'

* * *

Outside the CCT

* * *

'Weiss! You're okay!' Yang cried, dashing over to the heaving girl. Jaye skidded to a halt, scanning the faces in the crowd. 'Have you seen Ruby?'

The heiress shook her head, her breathing labored, and Jaye placed a hand on her back.

'What about Blake?' He asked, and she raised a shaky finger.

'She went after an Alpha.' She panted. 'And some members of the White Fang.'

Yang exchanged a concerned look with Jaye. He could see the hesitance on her face; torn between her partner and her sister.

'Go meet up with Blake.' He grasped her by the shoulder. 'I'll look for Ruby with Weiss.'

Yang nodded her thanks, turning down the street. Jaye watched her go, her wild blond locks streaming behind her, before turning his attention to the Heiress. She was doubled over, heaving, and her skin was clammy and pale. He pulled her over to the sidewalk, sitting her down on the concrete. She grabbed his arm for support, leaning heavily against him.

'What the hell happened to you?' He muttered, checking her for injuries. Weiss waved a hand at him, finally catching her breath.

'Just had some trouble, that's all.' She said, pulling herself to her feet. 'We have to find Ruby.'

'I know.' He said, raising her rapier to her. She accepted it with thanks, slinging it across her back, and Jaye turned to face the tower.

'As hard as it is for me to say this, we shouldn't go out looking.' Weiss said, turning to the landing platform. 'The first place she'd think to go is either the CCT to try and contact us, or the landing platform for evacuation.'

'Yeah. If we go looking, we'll probably miss her. And then, they'd have two more missing people to look out for.' Jaye groaned, catching the white-haired girl as she stumbled. 'We should hole up on the platform, protect those being shuttled off.'

* * *

'This whole time, right beneath our feet.'

Standing in a hollow chamber, deep within the school, Cinder stood, facing Ozpin. Behind her, Pyrrha and Jaune dashed for the elevator, but she ignored them, her gaze solely focused on the silver-haired man before her. Raising a hand, fire ignited from her palm, and she smiled sinisterly at it. Ozpin raised his cane, brandishing it in defiance to the woman, and Cinder raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

'She was right about you...' She let the fire go out, forming two black, glassy blades between her fingers. Grasping the handles, she raised the blades to height, and Ozpin narrowed his eyes as she did so. Cinder's smile grew even wider, letting the blades fall to her side with a languid confidence.

'Such arrogance.'

* * *

Okay, seriously, I can't believe we're here. We're at chapter 35 now. Wow. Beacon's bought to fall WHOOOHOOOO HERE'S WHERE THE REAL STORY BEGINS. Okay seriously though I feel like my writing hasn't improved all that much since the beginning. I tend to rely too much on worded emotion, rather than implying it through actions or behaviors. Like idk how to show someone's confused other than saying "HE'S CONFUSED." Someone give some advice pls.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

* * *

Jaye slammed into a wall, swearing at it as he peeled himself off its surface. Swinging Excalibur, he smashed its blade into the head of a nearby grimm, reducing it to dust. He glanced over at his mini-group. Ren and Nora were injured, Weiss was pretty much gassed, but the rest seemed to be fine. He flipped over a paw, drop-kicking the grimm in the head, and ran Caliburn through its neck. He leapt of the dying grimm as it crumbled into powder, rolling to break his fall, and driving his blade into the gut of another that appeared in front of him. He yanked the blade loose, flicking ash off it.

'You're pretty good.' Coco said, slinging her handbag over her shoulder, raising an appreciative eyebrow at the piles of ash lying around. Jaye breathed a long breath, sheathing his blades.

'We need to get to the landing platforms.' He said, running a hand through his hair. 'Otherwise we don't stand a chance.' He glanced around at the pathways and back alleys surrounding them, trying to map a route to their destination. 'We keep making detours because of blocked paths or hordes.'

'No choice.' Coco said, peering down a nearby alley. 'We've just got to hack it till we make it. No way we're passing through a horde without one or two casualties.'

'We need to find a clear path, otherwise it's just a matter of time before we become too exhausted to fight.' Jaye said. 'Do you think anyone here can scout ahead? Someone with good mobility and stealth.'

He glanced over at the green-clad boy, returning his gaze to Coco's face. 'Ren would be the obvious choice, but he's too injured to risk it. It's best if I do it; can you keep everyone safe till I get back?'

'I can do it!' Jaye turned to face the voice, locking eyes with Velvet as she approached the pair.

'It's too dangerous.' Jaye shook his head. 'I won't put you in harm's way like that.'

"Why?' Velvet crossed her arms. 'Do you think I can't do it?'

'I just don't want to put anyone here at unnecessary risk. It's better if I went by myself.'

'Do you think you're not at risk if you went out there?'

'I'm far less likely to get hurt or noticed. I'm probably the best choice we have right now.'

'No, you aren't. Velvet's small, and nimble. She's far less likely to be noticed than anyone else in this group, barring the ninja boy over there.' Coco interjected, smirking, and placed a hand on Jaye's shoulder. She pulled the boy to face her, her smirk fading.

'We need you here. I'm not a good enough leader to bring everyone here to safety.' She let her hand fall to her side. 'As much as I hate to admit it, people naturally rally to you. You've got that feel; like you've been through so much worse than we have. It's only natural that we look to you for guidance.'

Coco glanced back at the crowd of fighters, having finished off the last of the grimm, as they gathered around the three. Jaye scowled at the girl, crossing his arms, and Coco mirrored the pose.

'We need you here.' She said, nodding towards Velvet. 'Let her go.'

Jaye glanced across the girls, making a sound of annoyance. He screwed up his face in anger, slapping a palm over his eyes.

'Aaaaagh, fine!' He groaned, glaring at the two through his fingers. The girls grinned at each other, and Jaye cursed at them profusely.

'If you don't survive, I will kill you personally.' He swore, jabbing a finger into the bunny girl's face. Velvet laughed a brilliant laugh, covering her mouth with a dainty hand.

'I'll be too dead to care!' She jested, mock-saluting him. Jaye waved a hand dismissively at her, and she scuttled off between the buildings. Returning his attention to the group, he swore aloud again, kicking over a nearby barrel.

* * *

'I don't think we can do this much longer.' Weiss leant against a half-destroyed wall, crossing her legs over each other. 'The grimm will find us eventually. We're probably better off making a break for the landing pads.'

'Velvet's scouting out a route right now.' Coco said, crossing her arms. 'Give her some time; I doubt the airships will be leaving so eagerly.'

'This is an emergency situation.' Jaye sighed, dropping down onto a block of rubble. 'If the grimm make it to the landing pad, they'll pull out. And quickly at that.'

'I know, but we don't want to leave Velvet by herself if she comes back here.' Coco pointed out. 'It's dangerous enough for us as a group, let alone one person.'

'I know. I know.' Jaye grasped at his hair, tugging on a fistful as he contemplated their options. They were currently maybe less than half a kilometer from the landing pads, but the main problem was the large, open square they had to cross to reach it. The main courtyard was open on all sides; it was the only place with virtually zero cover for over a hundred meters, and it was swarming with grimm. It was impossible not to be spotted there, and it was impossible to make it to the landing pads without crossing the square unless they went behind the CCT tower. Going behind the tower would take over five minutes to cross to the other side, whilst the courtyard could be crossed within two. Getting to the tower was another problem in and of itself. Taking the distance from their position to the tower, the actual trip would take closer to fifteen minutes than five. Jaye peered around the corner of a nearby building.

'Taking the trip to the tower is marginally safer, but we're more likely to miss the airships.' He whispered. Coco nodded in agreement.

'I think we should just risk taking the courtyard; moving to the tower has just as much, maybe _more_ risk, for less reward.' She said, and Jaye nodded.

'As much as I hate to do this, I don't think we can wait on Velvet much longer.' He ground his teeth, pushing himself off the wall. 'We're just going to have to risk it. One life won't outweigh all of our own.'

'Oh? So I suppose I can just kill her then.' Jaye spun around, eyes wide in horror, to face the voice. He swore profusely as he caught sight of the source. Velvet glared defiantly down at them from a nearby rooftop, struggling in vain against the arm wrapped around her neck. Damian smiled maliciously down at the group, tilting the blade in his hand as he touched it lazily to Velvet's neck. Jaye drew his swords, stepping into a stance.

'You bastard.' He spat. 'Let her go!'

'Oh? But why? Weren't you about to sacrifice her?' He said, touching the blade to her soft white skin. Velvet jerked away from the assassin as he brought his face close to hers. 'Such a wonderful girl, albeit a little furry, and you threw her to the wolves.' He breathed against her neck, and she let out an audible "eep!" as it flowed over her skin.

'You son of a bitch! Let Velvet go!' Coco popped her gatling gun out of her purse, brandishing it at the red-clad figure. Damian smirked, stepping off the roof. Velvet choked, scrabbling at his forearm to stay afloat, as he walked languidly down his footholds.

They grimaced as she pulled against his arm, managing to draw in shallow breaths as he paused in mid-air above them. He flashed them another sadistic grin.

'Don't worry your pretty little heads about it.' He spun his sword nonchalantly. 'The bunny'll go free, if Jaye takes her place.' He levelled his blade with the scowling boy. 'That's my only condition.'

'Fine.' Jaye spat, tossing his swords to the ground. They clattered loudly against the concrete, and he glared up at the assassin. Damian laughed manically, practically jamming the hilt of his sword int his forehead.

'Now why'd you have to go and do that.' The smile dropped from his face, and he stared blankly into the sky. Jaye paused, watching him tensely, and Coco grit her teeth in apprehension.

'You've become weak.' He breathed, tightening his grip. Velvet's eyes bulged, and she clawed desperately at the arm wrapped around her throat. She thrashed wildly, kicking at his legs, and Jaye yanked his shield off his back. Extending the sniper barrel, he lined up the sights in a heartbeat, pulling the trigger. The shot rang out, hurtling towards Damian's head, but he slashed it out of the air. Jaye fired several more times, and the assassin deflected them with a look of disdain. Velvet went limp in his arm, and Damian scoffed at the sight.

'Weak.' He spat, dropping the lifeless girl to the ground. Jaye dropped Hesperides, surging forward as she fell to the pavement. He dived under her, gasping as her sheer weight dropped into his lap, and Coco turned her gatling gun on the assassin. Bullets poured out of the barrel, and Damian backflipped back onto the roof, hurling a knife at the girl. Coco screamed as the knife rammed into her arm, dropping the gatling gun. Jaye glared at the retreating assassin.

'Why!' He screamed, gathering the faunus into his arms. Damian cast him a look of disappointment.

'Why? Because you need to feel despair.' He slid his swords back into their sheaths, turning daintily on his heel. 'You will suffer as I have, and you will know humiliation. You will suffer as long as Salem demands it.' He leaped off the building, vanishing into the smoke and ashes. 'You were a fool for thinking you could gain the life you want.'

Jaye clutched the girl to his chest, screaming his fury at the retreating assassin. He touched his hands to her neck, feeling for a pulse, and swore again as he found nothing. He laid her flat on the floor, grabbing at his jacket. Coco scrambled over to the pair, touching her hands to Velvet's face.

'Velvet! Velvet please!' She coughed, squeezing the faunus girl's cheeks. 'Velvet wake up! Please wake up!'

Velvet lay still, her eyes pressed closed, and Coco choked as she remained stubbornly silent. Tears ran down her face as she continued to plead with the girl, and Jaye swatted her hands away.

'Don't beg her! Help her!' He popped the cap off the autoinjector he'd retrieved from his jacket. He pressed it to her thigh, pressing down on the button. Feeling for her ribs, he traced a line to her chest, placing his hands down on it. He pressed down on it, compressing her chest, counting as he did so.

'Come on! You're stronger than this!' He panted, pressing his lips to hers. He ventilated her, returning to his compressions. He repeated his ventilations again, grabbing Coco's hands.

'Take over!' He dropped her hands onto Velvet's chest, turning his attention to his gauntlets. He rotated the chambers, charging them with lighting dust. He scrabbled at her top, yanking the zipper down to her navel. He ventilated her again, checking for a pulse, and swore as her heart remained stubbornly unbeating.

'Get clear!' He shoved Coco off the girl, placing a hand beneath the girl's collarbone. He lined the other up below her breast, discharging the lightning into her body. She convulsed slightly, and he cursed.

'I only have one more stick of adrenaline.' He panted, starting CPR again. Coco stared, tear stricken, at the girl.

'I don't know what to do!' She choked, grasping the girl's hand. Jaye ventilated her again, digging through his pockets.

'Take over!' He instructed, pulling the injector from his jacket. Coco pumped at the girl's chest desperately, and the boy jammed the injector into her thigh once more.

'You guys!' He yelled, gesturing at the rest of the group. 'Get out there and clear a path!'

'On it!' Sun yelled, grabbing Neptune and charging out the alley. Roars erupted from the other side as they entered into battle, and Jaye glanced desperately around the ruins surrounding them.

'Shock her again!' Coco gasped, staring at the boy. Jaye shook his head, pressing his ear to the unconscious girl's chest.

'I can't do that without a defibrillator! The shocks are imprecise, and that could make it impossible to save her.' He grasped the girl around the waist, tossing her over his shoulder. 'We're going to have to make a run for the helipad, there'll be paramedics there.'

Coco nodded, swiping her purse off the ground. With a crunch of metal on metal, she ejected the massive six barrels from its shell. Rounding the corner, she jammed it down the length of the square.

'Everyone better get the fuck down.' She spun the barrels. 'I've got a dying friend on my hands, and if you're in the crossfire I will shoot your ass to save her.'

'Oh shit!' Sun dived out of the way as bullets rained into the horde. Coco fired with reckless abandon, mowing down the masses of grimm standing before her. Taking a deep breath, Jaye shouldered the girl, sprinting down the narrow path she'd created as more grimm continued to swarm in on them. Jaye slid under a massive claw, Velvet's head narrowly missing the ground, and dropped her into his lap. Tossing her into a princess carry, he dived between the legs of another grimm. Clutching her head to his chest, he barreled through a group of Beowolves. He grit his teeth as the claws rained down on his back, and he bundled the girl protectively in his arms. He screamed in pain as a claw raked a bloody line down his back, his aura fortification fizzing into dust, and stumbled as a set of teeth sank into his thigh. The Beowolves howled their victory.

'VELVET!' A booming voice cracked over the howls, and the grimm suddenly vanished. Yatsuhashi swung his massive blade, bashing it into the offenders surrounding the boy. He sent them flying with a few massive sweeps, standing defensively over the boy.

'Make a path!' Neptune yelled, jamming his spear into a nearby Grimm's face. Sun's clones smashed into the horde, shoving snarling Ursa aside, and Jaye limped forward. He glanced over his shoulder at the group. Ren and Nora, injured as they were, helped as much as they could, and the tournament fighters divided themselves around the boy. Yatsuhashi roared a battle cry.

'Keep her safe!' The towering boy swung his fearsome blade in wide arcs, cleaving through grimm left and right, hacking a bloody path through the beasts. Jaye staggered through the gap, narrowly avoiding the occasional claw that made its way through the fighters. He screamed in pain as the tip of a claw jabbed into his shoulder blade, stumbling forwards out of reach. The other end of the square was just out of reach, and Yatsuhashi smashed his blade into the obstructions.

'Get her to safety!' He growled, punching a grimm in the face. He locked eyes with Jaye for a moment. 'Protect her.'

'With my life.' He swore, clutching the girl to his chest. The massive boy grabbed Jaye by the collar. Spinning on the spot, he hurled them into the air with a beastly howl. Jaye screamed as he hurtled, the ground rushing up at him from below. Slamming into it feet first, he covered Velvet's head with his arms, smashing into the ground hard. A sharp, stabbing pain ran through his shoulder, and he dragged himself to his feet.

'AAAAAAAGH' He heaved, staggering through the gap of an alley, sliding behind a building to avoid the grimm. He dropped Velvet as gently as he could, checking her vitals again. He swore under his breath as she remained still, and traced his landmark again.

He placed his hands on her chest, pumping hard at her lifeless heart. He heaved in pain as blood pooled from his wounds, the gashes opening wider from his exertions, sweat streaming down his face. Heaving her onto his shoulder, he fought against the stabbing pain rocketing through his body. With superhuman effort, he broke into a run through the alleyways counting to thirty in his head. Every thirty seconds of running, he stopped for a cycle of CPR, his breath coming out in short, ragged puffs. He felt his energy sapping away, fighting desperately against pain and exhaustion as he continued to try to resuscitate the girl. Behind him, the group continued to fight the massive hordes as they closed in. They held them back at the edge of the square, buying time for Jaye to get to the helipads first.

By the time he'd reached the helipads, he had carried out twenty cycles of CPR. The distance from the square to the helipads was only five minutes away at a moderate jog, but it had taken him almost fifteen minutes to get her there. His leg had given out on him partway, and he limped forwards with his good leg, almost giving out from the pain. Staggering onto the helipad, he practically collapsed from exhaustion as the paramedics rushed forwards to meet him. He waved them away with a trembling hand.

'Not me!' He croaked. 'Help her!'

Doctor Oobleck dashed over to him, grabbing the boy by the arms. From Jaye's hazy, blood deprived point of view, the Doctor had seemingly appeared from nowhere.

'Help! Group! Square!' The blood-covered boy gasped, gesturing weakly behind him. 'Can't hold on! Too many!'

Doctor Oobleck directed a few guards in the direction, grabbing the boy under his arms. Jaye grinned at the teacher.

'Hey Doc, is she gonna be alright?' He slurred, going limp in the man's grip. Doctor Oobleck threw his arm over his shoulder, dragging him to the temporary medical shelter in the corner.

'Well done my boy, well done.' He breathed through his teeth, nearly tearing up at the gravely wounded boy. 'I'm so proud of you.'

He dropped the boy onto a stretcher, the medics swarming him, and turned to leave. He paused as a hand grasped onto the hem of his shirt.

'Did I save her?' Jaye gasped, his hand falling weakly to his side. 'Is she alive?'

'Yes, she's alive.' Doctor Oobleck glanced over at the operating table. Velvet laid ominously still as the doctors attended to her, hooking her up to various machines as they loaded her onto a shuttle. He glanced back down at the boy as they ran an IV into his arm. The teacher laid a hand on his bleeding, broken shoulder, squeezing it gently.

'She's alive.'

* * *

And that brings us to the end. Just so ya'll know, I'm a medic in the army, so I feel like this chapter isn't just drama for you guys. I tried my best to represent genuinely how I'd feel in this situation, knowing that I hold people's lives in my hands. I hope I never have to do that for real in my life.


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

* * *

'That's it, everybody on board!' The stumpy professor shouted pulling his gun-axe close to his chest. 'This is a mandatory evacuation!'

'A safe zone has been established in Vale!' Doctor Oobleck interjected. 'Please, remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel!'

'Professor!' Weiss and Coco jogged forwards to their teachers, and Jaye pushed himself off his seat against a supply crate, limping up to meet the two. The rest of the pack trailed behind, and Weiss cantered to a stop in front of the two teachers.

'Jaye! Professor Oobleck, Professor Port!' She cried. 'You're okay!'

'Doctor.' Doctor Oobleck cautioned, holding up a stern finger. Letting his hand fall, he smiled at the girl. 'I'm glad to see that you're all okay.' His eyes trailed over to the group, noting the state they were in. 'Though I suppose we have a few injuries.'

'Velvet. Is she okay?' Coco said softly, stepping forward, her eyes glassy, and Doctor Oobleck smiled gently at her.

'She's already been sent out to the nearest medical facility. She'll be just fine.' He raised a cautionary hand. 'With that being said, we need to get moving. It's only a matter of time before the grimm make their way here.'

'Not us.' Jaye shook his head, easing himself onto his feet. 'With the majority of the Atlas army down, we're the last lines of defense against the grimm.' He waved a hand at the soldiers. 'We're better fighters than their army. We're easily worth a fighting force.'

'No children.' Doctor Oobleck pushed his glasses back onto his nose. 'On the contrary, YOU must be the ones to survive.' He glanced about the small gathering. 'Without powerful fighters such as yourselves, our future is doomed. We MUST ensure you survive.'

'And we will.' Jaye said, slinging his blades over his back. 'We always have. If we could be done in by grimm, we would've died a long time ago.'

He locked eyes with the Doctor, staring down the sonic-the-hedgehog reincarnate. Oobleck glared back, his mouth twisting into a frown, before he heaved a sigh.

'You will only stay FOR AS LONG AS NECESSARY.' He said, jabbing a finger into the air. 'As soon as I say go, we will leave. Are we understood?'

'Crystal.' Jaye grinned at the Doctor, and Oobleck cracked a slight smile. They jumped slightly as an orange flash burst out of nowhere.

'Get ready!' Doctor Oobleck raised his thermos in challenge as an orange hooded figure popped out of thin air, a purple wrapped lady by his side. He raised a hand defensively, his other hand wrapped around an unmoving figure tossed over his shoulder. Jaye recognized both in a moment.

'Kamina! Indigo!' He staggered to his feet. The faunus boy pushed back his hood, the mask falling away from his face. 'I thought you'd have gotten out of the city.'

'Couldn't leave you behind.' He said, but his trademark grin was missing from his cheeky face. 'Brought you something.'

He laid the figure on the floor, her blond hair spilling about her prone outline. Jaye swore loudly, staggering over to the pair. Yang laid unmoving, her eyes shut, and the stump of her right arm bled gently onto the pavement.

'I tried to help her as best as I could.' Indigo said, laying a black-clothed figure down beside the girl. Blake groaned as she moved, and Indigo placed a hand on her forehead.

'She's alive, but she's lost a lot of blood.' Kamina adjusted the tourniquet around her bicep, tightening it to stop the flow. 'The tourniquet's stopped the bleeding for now, but she won't survive without an infusion.'

'Blake's doing a little better, but she can't move or she'll pull out her stitches.' Indigo grasped the girl's hand reassuringly. 'We barely made it on time.'

'Adam Taurus was there.' Kamina's eyes darkened. 'I hate that guy.'

Jaye took Yang's hand gently, squeezing it in his grasp. He moved aside as the paramedics rushed over, grasping at his side as a jolt of pain flared through his body. He sat down heavily, groaning at the effort.

'You look like shit.' Indigo nudged the boy, and Jaye made a violent gesture at her.

'I _feel_ like shit.' He shifted painfully, adjusting his boots. 'This has been the worst day, ever.'

'I can see that.' Kamina finally cracked a grin. 'Looks like you're adding another scar to the collection.'

'Piss off fox boy.' Jaye swore, dragging himself to his feet. He limped over to his pile of equipment close by, digging through his jacket. 'I think we'd better start thinking of what to do after this. No guarantee the CCT's gonna survive this crap.' He raised a small thumbdrive to the boy. 'Take it, both of you, and stick together. If we get separated, that's a list of the safehouses I have around. The closest one to here is in Haven.'

'We're not leaving here without you.' Kamina said, crossing his arms. Jaye waved the thumbdrive impatiently, and the fox boy blatantly ignored him.

'We go together, or not at all.' Indigo said, pushing his hand down. Jaye glared at the auburn-haired girl, putting the thumbdrive back into his pocket.

'You lot can be seriously stubborn sometimes.' He said, leaning against a nearby airship. His two team members grinned at him.

'A trait we learned very well from you.' Kamina punched the raven-haired boy on the arm. Jaye swore again as a jolt of pain rocketed through him and glared down the faunus. They glanced up as a flash of red caught their eye.

'Ruby!' Weiss cried, grasping the girl's hand. The tiny girl panted as she slowed to a stop.

'Oh! I found you.' She panted, glancing around. 'Don't worry, I'm fine! What's going on?'

Weiss glanced away from the girl, going silent. Ruby raised a concerned eyebrow.

'Weiss? What is it?' She asked, and the heiress stepped aside. Ruby gasped as she caught sight of the blonde girl sprawled across the floor. Blake grasped her unconscious hand, squeezing it tightly.

'I'm sorry!' She choked, tears spilling out of her eyes and onto the pavement. 'I'm so sorry!'

'Yang-!' Ruby stretched a hand out to the girls, letting it drop lifelessly to her side. She covered her mouth with a gasp, her feet rooted to the spot. She glanced up as Sun approached her.

'Hey. She's gonna be okay.' He said, balling his hands into fists. 'The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale.'

'But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing!' Nora tried feebly to push herself to her feet, clutching her side painfully. Sun gestured angrily at the tower.

'Look guys, that giant Grimm keeps circling the school.' He said. 'Even the White Fang are pulling out!' He glanced across his schoolmates. 'We all have to go... now!'

'We're not leaving-!' Ren dropped to his knees in pain, squeezing the handles of his guns. Weiss averted her eyes as her did so, turning back to the red-hooded girl.

'I'll find them...I'll find them and I'll bring them back.' She said, resolutely. Weiss glanced at the girl, and Ruby glared back with determination.

'No. _We_ will find them.' Weiss flipped her hair, nonchalantly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Ruby smiled at her, and the heiress turned back to the faunus boy. 'Watch after Blake and Yang. We'll be back.'

'Ugh, you better be!' Sun yelled as they ran towards the tower. He slapped a hand into his face, grimacing.

'Idiots.'

* * *

Jaye stumbled as the ground shook. He took a shaking breath as a glint caught his attention, and shielded his eyes as a silver light erupted from the tower.

'What the hell!' He yelled, and Kamina and Indigo darted in front of the boy, raising their weapons defensively over him. The light vanished as soon as it came, and the onlookers watched, stunned, as it began to fade.

'What happened?' Kamina breathed, letting his claws fall to his side. Atop the tower, the dragon sat, frozen in a white crystal, unmoving. Jaye balked at the sight, almost sliding off his perch on a cargo crate.

'Ruby!' He gasped, staggering to his feet. He collapsed immediately, falling to the ground with a resounding groan, and Kamina pulled him up.

'We're getting you out of here, whether you like it or not.' He said, pulling the boy along. Jaye struggled in his grip.

'No! She could still be alive!' He locked eyes with the faunus boy, grabbing him by the collar. 'I couldn't face Yang if I let her die when I could have saved her.'

Kamina made a face of excruciating pain, and started retching onto the floor. Jaye raised an eyebrow at the faunus boy as he rolled around, pretending to vomit. Kamina eventually gathered himself onto his feet, laughing his guts out.

'Sorry, I'm allergic to cheesy cliché crap.' He said, wiping a tear from his eye. He seized the boy by the shoulders. 'Fine, I'll get the girl for you. But you owe me popcorn and a movie.'

'Thanks man.' Jaye sighed, slouching in his grip, and Kamina dropped him unceremoniously onto a crate.

'It's a date then.' He said, flipping his hood back on. 'You'd better not stand me up.'

'Wouldn't dream of it.' Jaye grinned as the orange light flashed across his eyes. Kamina vanished in a whirl of fur, and the raven-haired boy leaned back against the crate, groaning in satisfaction. He swore as someone stepped on his leg and glared at Indigo as she pretended not to notice.

* * *

Two Days Later, The Xiao Long Household

* * *

'Ugh, nothing.' Taiyang tossed the remote onto the table, flopping down onto the couch. Qrow swirled a drink in his hand quietly, leaning against the table.

'Just turn it off.' He said, raising the glass to his lips. 'Without the CCT there's no point.'

'Communication down across the entire kingdom...No way to contact the outside world...' Tai interlaced his fingers, squeezing them into a fist. 'And Ozpin's still missing.'

'Yeah.' Qrow placed his glass down on the table, pulling out the chair. Tai glanced over at his grim brother-in-law, pushing himself off the couch.

'This is bad, Qrow.'

'Yeah, this is bad.'

* * *

One Month Later, Back In Vale

* * *

'All healed up?' Kamina prodded Jaye on the shoulder. The raven-haired boy hissed as his finger ran over the still-raw scars, swatting at the boy's hands. They were currently outside of Indigo's apartment, gathering their belongings. Jaye had managed to retrieve his bike from the school, and he tied his bag to the back of it. He flinched slightly as a snowflake touched his forehead, and he paused a moment, watching the snow fall gently on the pavement around him.

'I'm surprised only two of those wounds turned into scars.' Indigo cocked her head to the side. 'The rest healed up without a hitch. Modern medicine is astounding.'

'It's really not that impressive.' Jaye rubbed his sore shoulder. 'It's probably just because I never got proper medical attention for any of my previous wounds.' He glanced at the sky. 'We're seeing snow a little early this year, we're barely out of Fall.'

'Ready to go?' Kamina tapped his claws on the windscreen of his bike, leaning over the dashboard. Jaye kicked his stand up, revving the engine. Indigo did the same to hers, pulling her cloak around her shoulders. Jaye smiled in her direction, pulling his own purple cloak out of his bag, fastening the clasp about his neck. His bike roared to life, and he took a deep breath, feeling the rumble of the engine beneath him. Kamina grinned at the boy.

'Haven, here we come!' He said, and Jaye chuckled, pulling his goggles on. He turned his bike sharply onto the road, flipping up the hood of his purple cloak. Cranking the throttle, he shot down the road, skimming the ashes on either side. Beside him, Kamina laughed, his own indigo cloak flowing freely behind him, and Jaye laughed with his teammates.

'The gang's back together, huh?' Kamina's voice crackled to life over the radio. Indigo laughed from the side.

'We're finally together again, for better or for worse.' She said, tapping her heels against her bike. 'I should probably get this tuned up though.'

'Yeah, me too.' Jaye glanced at his dashboard, watching the speedometer as they went. He stared down the road, titling to the side as a turn came up, and watched a road sign pass them by in a blur.

"Patch – 560miles"

He turned sharply onto the exit, following the highway down, and Indigo and Kamina trailed behind him.

'Making a stop on the way?' Indigo called, and Jaye nodded, staring down the vast expanse of road leading to his destination. He felt a slight pang in his chest as a flash of gold passed him by, and realized it was just a yellowing leaf caught in the wind. He watched the sun come up over the horizon, touching the peaks of the buildings as it rose, bathing the path ahead of him in a bright yellow light. Destruction stood wherever the light touched, covered in rays of gold, and he smiled as the world seemed a little less hellish, a little more human.

A little more hope.

'Yeah.' He breathed, watching the sun as it continued its journey into the sky. His thoughts drifted to blonde hair and a bombshell smile, and he smiled to himself, grateful for the helmet that covered his face.

'I need to go somewhere.'

* * *

CHAPTER 37 LET'S GO. I'm a little at a loss how to portray Jaye and Yang's meeting at patch, and wondering how to continue the story from here. I'll see how it goes, but I hope you guys enjoy it no matter what my decision will be.


	39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

We're finally making it into volume 4 territory. I don't believe it.

I'm really happy we made it this far. I hope I can keep this one going until the end, so I look forward to everyone's continued support peace guys!

But on another note, I may not even write anything related to volume 4. My timeline will probably be what Jaye does during volume four, before they all meet back up in volume 5. Otherwise it would break the whole point of the divide formed at Beacon.

* * *

The wooden door to the house clicked softly as it shut, and Ruby let her hand fall from the handle quietly. She turned around as the crunch of a foot sounded in the snow behind her. Blanketed in white, the ground was covered in the white powder, with three figures framed in the color. Jaune smiled at the girl.

'Hey.' He said, lifelessly. Ruby's heart panged at the sight of the forlorn boy. His eyes were shadowed ever so slightly, and she glanced across the three members of the former team JNPR, the fourth spot glaringly painful to see.

'Hey Jaune.' Ruby said, smiling weakly. Jaune made a weak gesture with his hands, resting his palm on the hilt of his sword. She walked up to the boy. 'Haven's a long way to go.'

'I know.' He said, nodding. 'But it's the only lead we have.'

'And you're sure you wanna come along?' She asked, and Ren stepped forward.

'The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain.' He said, placing a hand over his heart. Nora slung her hammer over her shoulder.

'But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it.' She said, and Ruby smiled a little wider.

'Then let's get started.' She said resolutely, and the four started down the freshly shoveled path together. Ruby glanced back momentarily, at her childhood home. She watched the window where her sister sat, hidden behind the curtain, and turned back to the road. She marched on, unwavering, and they disappeared into the tree line.

* * *

One week later.

* * *

'You sure you wanna do this? Kamina asked, grasping the boy by the shoulder. Jaye heaved a sigh, scratching his neck awkwardly.

'I suppose in a sense I'm meeting my girlfriend's parents for the first time.' He said, crossing his arms. 'Indigo doesn't count, she doesn't have parents.'

'Ugh just get this over with.' Indigo rolled her eyes. 'The sooner I know whether my replacement is coming with us or not, the sooner I can decide my mood for the rest of this journey.' She slapped the boy on the back. 'Hurry up and get moving. It's already dark out.'

'Hey, maybe she's asleep already.' Kamina jested. 'Then we can just go back to the motel.'

Jaye swore at him briefly, raising a hand to the doorbell. He pushed it hesitantly, pausing as the "ding dong" went through the house. He heard a voice from inside, and jumped as the door burst open, and a blond man stuck his head out.

'Ruby!' He panted, before making a face of disappointment at the three standing there. 'Sorry about that. I thought it was my daughter.' He scratched his head sheepishly. 'How can I help you?'

'Oh um.' Jaye shifted awkwardly on the spot. 'Hi, my name's Jaye. I'm a…friend of Ruby and Yang.' He gestured behind him. 'These are my companions; Indigo and Kamina. Your daughters know us. Are they around?'

'Oh.' The man's face fell further. 'You don't know where Ruby is?'

'No?' Jaye said, confused. 'We just arrived in Patch yesterday.'

'Oh, I see.' The man said. 'My name's Taiyang. Taiyang Xiao Long. I'm the father of these two girls.' He stepped aside to let them in. 'I'm afraid you've just missed Ruby. She left for Haven a week ago. Haven't heard from her since.'

'I'm sorry, I had no idea.' Jaye said, wiping off his shoes before stepping in. Taiyang shook his head.

'No, communications' down around the globe anyway. They barely got the lines open within the kingdom two weeks back, but without the CCT there's hardly a point.' He paused by the stairs. 'Yang is in the first room on the right.' He glanced at the boy. 'Do you…know what happened to her?'

'I was there.' Jaye nodded grimly, setting his weapons down by the sofa. Taiyang nodded listlessly, resting a hand on the banister. Kamina and Indigo sat down on the couch, watching the two men quietly. Jaye took a breath, starting up the stairs, and Taiyang cleared his throat loudly.

'I've…heard your name before.' He said, and Jaye paused on the step. Tai glanced at him, crossing his arms. 'From Yang, I mean. She likes you a lot; she holds you in very high regard. I'd never seen her happier to have you on her team.' He kicked restlessly at a fold on the carpet. 'I just have to ask; what were you to my daughters?'

Kamina sat up straight on the couch, and Indigo touched a finger to her chin. Jaye stiffened slightly, turning back to the father. Tai was watching him, expectant, and Jaye cleared his throat nervously.

'Ruby was my leader. We were friends.' He said, touching his hand to his neck. 'Yang and I were…ARE…together.' He scratched his neck sheepishly. 'She's important to me.'

Tai watched him, unflinchingly, and Jaye swallowed nervously. Kamina and Indigo glanced across each other, watching the two with bated breath. Tai breathed out slowly.

'I know who you are, by the way. Niefelheim.' He scratched his blond head. 'You're not exactly the kind of person I want in my household.'

'I'm surprised you know that name.' Jaye raised an eyebrow. 'Did Qrow tell you?'

'Yeah, he did.' Tai leaned against the banister. 'He was sent by Ozpin to look into you the moment you arrived in Vale. It was buried pretty deep, but eventually we unearthed everything.' He pulled out a scroll. 'One hundred and sixty-four charges of murder, premeditated. Two hundred and seven counts of manslaughter. Five charges of arson. No reports for one year and eleven months, except for one arrest in December last year because someone thought you were shoplifting.' He narrowed his eyes. 'From the moment you left the Faction till now, your hands have been clean.'

'Technically none of it was manslaughter.' Jaye said. 'I planned and fully intended to kill every last one of them. I don't really know why they consider it manslaughter.' He shrugged. 'Maybe it just looks cooler than three hundred and seventy-one counts of murder on paper.'

Taiyang raised an eyebrow, and Jaye raised his hands apologetically.

'Sorry, I tend to resort to morbid nonchalance when people put me on the spot.' He said, letting his hands fall to the banister. 'I'm a little more used to _killing_ strangers than talking to them.'

'Look, the point is, you're a bad person.' Tai pushed himself off the rail. 'Now no one's really a saint, but you and I both know you're way worse than the average man.' He squared up to the boy. 'Now what I want to know is why. Why would someone like you suddenly be here, living a seemingly honest life? Why would you be coming to see my daughters, when you could easily vanish in this confusion?' He crossed his arms. 'Why, now that Ozpin is gone and can no longer keep you in check, are you still playing the good guy?'

Jaye paused for a moment, watching the father quietly. For the first time, he felt no maliciousness behind any of those words; no judgement or accusations. He realized, Taiyang wasn't an investigator, or a man seeking revenge or righteousness. He was just a man, trying to be a father to two broken girls, trying to keep any source of harm away from all that he had left. He took a deep breath, setting his jaw in a line.

'I got out of the Faction at the start for a personal reason. I never actually enjoyed killing people; I was just very good at it.' He shoved his hands into his pockets. 'But the Faction isn't a place that you can simply walk out of. No matter how much I would have liked to leave, there was no way to do so. And there were too many people to leave behind.' He glanced over Tai's shoulder at his two teammates, standing by the sofa. 'Someone gave me the push I needed to get going. And after I met your girls, well, everything changed.' He scratched his head awkwardly. 'Yang was always someone to shine brightly, no matter where she is. To me, someone who's shrouded in darkness, she was like a blinding light that got in my eyes and annoyed me. She was someone who had lived a life I had never lived, and experienced love like I never have.

'But she wasn't perfect. I saw her when she got angry, and sad, and when she got jealous and acted tough.' Jaye chuckled gently to himself. 'In the end, I realized she was just a girl. That blinding light I thought she was, became a little more human to me.' He looked Tai in the eye. 'Ruby was a bundle of joy, but behind that joy was a lot of sadness she kept bottled up. Yang had it too, and I felt a little, sort of camaraderie with them. Like they could understand the pain I felt. And they did.' Jaye sat down heavily on the steps, placing his forearms on his knees.

'I don't think I'd ever really known what it was like to live until I met them.' He twiddled his thumbs quietly. 'It was a blessing to live with them, even for less than a year.' He locked eyes with Tai. 'And you're wrong about Ozpin by the way. He was never there to keep me in check. He was there to _protect_ me.'

Jaye clenched his fists, then let them drop like their strings had been cut.

'Like I said; the Faction isn't a place you can just walk out of. But, they wouldn't attack Beacon just for me. They couldn't risk conflict with the Huntsmen.' Jaye said. 'He was the only thing standing between me and my death at the hands of the Faction. Of course, I couldn't possibly just walk into Beacon. With my usual means of securing an identity cut off, there was no way for me to apply into Beacon. I think Ozpin knew that.'

'What are you saying?' Tai asked, crossing his arms, and Jaye shrugged.

'I can't really be sure, but I think Ozpin was trying to protect me. He gave me an out, a way to stay safe and untouchable until I could settle things for good with the Faction.' He adjusted his gloves awkwardly. 'I could just be overthinking things, but either way, what he did saved me. And I'm grateful for it, despite the quirks that came with the situation.'

Jaye pushed himself to his feet, walking slowly down the steps to the father. Tai raised an eyebrow at him, keeping his arms crossed.

'I know I might be asking a bit much. I know you want to keep your daughter safe. But I'm going to Haven; I need to find answers. I'm sure that's what Ruby's trying to find too.' Tai clenched his fists, and Jaye held up a hand. 'I know you probably want to keep her here, to keep her out of harm's way. But the Yang I know wouldn't sit here and wait when her sister is out there. She sure as hell wouldn't sit around doing nothing, and wait for the world to end. Cinder and the others that attacked Beacon could be at Haven. It's the best place to start.' Jaye held out a hand.

'Can I have your permission, to take Yang with me?' He asked, and Tai glanced at his outstretched hand with disdain. Jaye kept it raised, unflinching, and Tai made a sound of annoyance.

'Jaye, I am a father. I can't knowingly put my daughter into the hands of someone like yourself. You've been stained by far too much blood.' He said, and Jaye let his hand fall to his side. Tai's expression softened, his face going passive. 'But you're not the first person I've met who's like that.'

Tai walked slowly to the couch, sitting down gently on its surface. He watched the boy sullenly, tapping his fingers on the armrest. Jaye shifted awkwardly on the spot, shoving his hands into his pockets.

'I think I know why Yang seems to like you so much. I don't know if it's true, since she's never met her, but you're a bit like her mother.' Tai said, and Jaye glanced up in surprise. 'You two are the same. A little hot-headed, more than a little ruthless. No one can chain you down.' He drummed his fingers on the armrest. 'You're both natural leaders, regardless of charisma or eloquence, and you both hold strength in high regard. And you're both bathed in blood.

'But you're not the same as her.' Tai said, giving the boy a small smile. 'You care about your own, not as a leader, but as family. I think that's what Raven lacks. You care about Yang, I can see that. But as her father, I can't give you my blessing to take her into danger.' He stood up from the couch. 'And in the end, what Yang wants to do is up to her. Not me.'

Jaye nodded, and Tai chuckled a little. He watched the boy quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

'I'm glad you're the person I thought you'd be.' He said, turning the boy to the stairs. 'Now go see her.'

'Thank you.' Jaye said, scaling the steps silently. He paused at the top. 'I really mean that.'

'I know.' Tai smiled, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, hearing the knock on the door upstairs, and chuckled as he heard Yang's voice of surprise.

* * *

Here we go. Cheers.


	40. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

I'm sorry this took so long. Here comes the drama, let's go!

* * *

Yang's Room

* * *

Jaye shut the door behind him, quietly taking in the sight of the sullen girl sitting on the bed. Yang stared at her blanket, her hand resting on her lap, and Jaye scratched his neck sheepishly.

'Hey.' He said, shifting awkwardly on the spot. Yang barely glanced at him, and he cleared his throat. 'You doing okay?'

'Does this look okay to you?' She breathed, her voice barely a whisper, raising the stump of her arm into the air. Jaye's breath hitched in his throat, and he swallowed roughly. He paced over to the girl slowly, touching a hand to her face. She pulled abruptly away from him, slapping his hand away.

'Don't touch me.' She hissed, hugging her chest. Jaye let his arm fall limply to his side, gripping his trousers between his fingers.

'I'm going to Haven.' He said. Yang flinched slightly, not turning to meet him, and Jaye swallowed again. 'I know you're going through a hard time right now, and I know it's not fair for me to ask you this, but I want you to come with me.' He placed a hand on her shoulder. 'I want you to be with me.'

'I said don't touch me!' Yang screamed, hitting him in the stomach. Jaye backed off, raising his hands into the air, and fell silent as Yang finally met his eyes. Tears streamed freely down her face, and she scowled at the boy.

'You want to be with me?' She hissed, her lips trembling. 'Where were you when Adam attacked me? Where were you when I lost my arm? Where were you for the past month? Where were you when I needed you the most?' Her voice quivered as she slumped weakly in the bed. 'Why did I have to go through this alone?'

Jaye watched the girl quietly, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. He had no idea what to do, and just watched her cry. He took a shaky breath as she rubbed her eyes, covering her face with her hand.

'I'm sorry.' He whispered, taking a step towards her. 'I should've been here sooner. I should have been there for you.'

'No!' Yang choked, the tears once more threatening to spill from her eyes. 'That's not right!'

She turned sharply towards the boy, and this time Jaye held her gaze. She grasped her pillow in her hand, squeezing it tightly.

'Tell me I'm being childish! Tell me I'm being immature! Tell me this isn't fair for you!' She cried, hitting him weakly with the pillow. Jaye stood still, letting her swing the fluffy object. 'Tell me I'm asking too much! Tell me I'm being dramatic! Tell me I'm a fool!' She paused mid-swing, dropping the pillow to the ground. 'Why aren't you getting angry!'

'Because I love you.' Jaye took ahold of her wrist gently. Yang sucked in a breath, turning away from the boy again, and he pulled her closer. She struggled against him, pushing at his chest, but he gathered her into his arms tightly. She squirmed and wriggled, but he gripped her even tighter, until she finally went limp in his arms. She coughed softly, gripping his shirt in her hand and buried her face in his neck. She sobbed against his skin, squeezing him tight, and Jaye just held her. She finally pulled away from him, placing a hand on his chest.

'I can't tell you you're being dramatic.' He breathed, stroking her cheek. Yang rubbed her face into his chest, and he felt her body shake beneath him. 'You went through something terrible, and I should have been there to prevent it. I let you get hurt even though I swore I'd protect you.'

'It's not your fault.' She whispered, rubbing her eyes again. 'No one could have seen this coming.'

'I should have been with you.' Jaye grit his teeth. 'I shouldn't have let you search for Blake alone.'

'I see him, you know.' The blonde girl ruffled her mop of blonde hair. 'Adam. In my dreams.' She hugged the stump of her arm to her chest. 'I see his white mask, his red hair, his cruel smile. I see him when I close my eyes.' She looked up at the raven-haired boy. 'It's always the same. I see him with his sword drawn. And before I know it, I'm bleeding on the floor.'

'I can't imagine what that's like.' Jaye said, touching his thumb to her lips. 'I wish I could have saved you.'

'Stop being caring. It's creepy.' Yang said, a small smile breaking onto her face. 'Just be your usual condescending self.'

'Would you rather I scolded you for being too weak?'

'Please care about me.'

'Okay.' He pressed his lips to hers, softly, and she ran a hand up his neck. She caressed his cheek gently, pulling away from him. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand, turning away abruptly, before darting out from under the covers. She charged into the bathroom, and the sounds of hurling came brightly from within. Jaye stopped by the door.

'Wow, I know I've been on the road a while, but I didn't think it was that bad.' He said, gathering her hair in his hands, pulling it away from the bowl. Yang pushed him away gently.

'I-I'm sorry. It's not you, it's just.' She choked, coughing into the water. Jaye stepped back, holding his hands to his chest.

'No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you like that. You just went through a traumatic experience.' He scratched his head. 'My bad.'

'This sucks.' The blonde scratched her mane of golden locks, slumping over the bowl. Jaye reached over, pressing the flush button. 'I didn't think something like that would happen.' She turned back to the boy. 'I'm sorry if I offended you.'

'Hey, I'm not a child. I can handle a few jabs at my hygiene.' Jaye said, crossing his arms in mock anger. Yang giggled, before erupting into fits of coughing. She picked herself off the floor, and Jaye stepped aside.

'I'll go get you some water.'

* * *

'I'm sorry. But I can't go with you.' Yang pulled the covers up to her chest, hugging her knees. Jaye sighed, taking her hand.

'I know. You need time. We all do.' He squeezed it gently, rubbing his fingers over her knuckles. She made a face of discomfort, and he immediately let go.

'I promise I'll work hard. I'll get over this somehow.' She said, touching her fingers to his. Jaye nodded, and Yang smiled. 'I've always pulled through. No reason I won't now.'

'I'll be in Haven.' Jaye said, tapping his pocket. 'Communication across the Kingdoms hasn't come back yet, who knows if it will anytime soon, but you'll be able to contact me once you get to Mistral.'

'Yeah.' She said, closing her eyes. 'I'll be with you soon.'

'I'll be waiting.' Jaye stood up slowly. 'I'll wait for you.'

'I know. You've never let me down before.' Yang smiled. Jaye hesitated for a moment, before picking her hand off the bed. He kissed her fingers, gently, before turning to the door.

'Goodnight.' He said, resting his hand on the doorframe. Yang waved at him, and he stepped out, closing the door behind him. She watched as it clicked shut, clutching the bedsheets. She pressed her fingers to her lips, feeling the warmth left behind. Tears began to run down her face again, and she flinched as she heard an engine rev. She ran to the window, pressing her palm against the glass, and watched as the three figures got on their bikes. She watched Jaye as he slid his helmet on, kicking his bike into gear, and they shot down the freshly shoveled pathway. She watched them until he disappeared beneath the tree line, and slumped against the wall.

* * *

A Tavern In Town

* * *

'So, she's got PTSD huh.' Indigo crossed her legs, leaning back in her chair. Jaye swallowed his noodles, popping half an egg into his mouth.

'She threw up. I'd say that's pretty bad.' Kamina pointed out, swirling his bowl. Indigo busied herself splitting her roasted pork into two equal halves, and Jaye spun his chopsticks in his hand.

'She's strong. She'll get through this.' Jaye said, catching his chopsticks. He shoveled more noodles into his mouth, and Indigo sighed.

'You guys are so insensitive. I'm sitting right here you know.' She jested, nudging Kamina, and he made a face of horror.

'Oh deary me, did I offend you? I thought you could handle jabs at your hygiene!' He said, pretending to throw up. They laughed heartily, and Jaye scowled at his teammates.

'On a more serious note.' Indigo finally managed to split her roast pork evenly, and promptly popped a piece into her mouth. 'We actually need to get to Mistral, and fast. With Vale fallen like it has, the Vale Faction leaders have probably moved over to Mistral already. We've given them too much of a head start.'

'We don't know if they're actually siding with Cinder and her little friends.' Kamina made a "deep thought" face. 'We've always been business partners, but it's hard to say. The Vale leaders were probably at least tolerant of it, otherwise Torchwick and Damian wouldn't have been able to run around so freely.'

'Fair point.' Jaye poked an egg with his chopstick, giving up on trying to grip its slippery surface. 'We're too in the dark. We need more information, and we need it fast.' He glanced across the table. 'We're going to need to call in a few favors.'

'She can.' Kamina gestured at the auburn-haired girl sitting next to him. 'We can't. You're a traitor and I'm dead, remember?'

'I'm sure we could find a few people.' Jaye waved his hand dismissively. 'I've still got a few friends around.'

'I wouldn't recommend that.' Indigo said. 'You've always had the worst tastes in friends.'

'Hey!'

'It's true.'

'That makes you guys part of that "worst tastes".'

'We know, we're proud of it.' Kamina grinned, chewing on a piece of pork. 'But in all seriousness, we don't know who's been bought off and who's being tracked. Right now, Indigo's the least suspicious out of us. Best if she goes at this alone first.'

'Agreed.' Indigo said, blowing on her noodles. 'Anything could potentially land us in the eyes of the wrong leaders. We know for a fact that Mistral is pretty neutral, but Vacuo's always been a den of low-lives, and Atlas is pretty much the worst because of how many Faction leaders are Military leaders too.'

'So we'll start in Mistral, then head over to Vacuo down the line.' Jaye stirred his soup. 'Information first, then we start thinking of expanding our forces for the potential war.'

'Cinder and her group brought down Vale. It's safe to say they're not to be underestimated.' Indigo interjected. 'I wouldn't be surprised if some of the headmasters or government leaders are in on their plans too.'

'We should be careful going in to Mistral then.' Kamina said. 'So first thing we need is an under-the-radar ship heading for Mistral.'

'Or better; a way to stow away as cargo.' Jaye said, thanking the waitress as she brought over a plate of dumplings. 'It'd be best to keep as little of a paper trail as possible.'

'Alright then. It's settled.' Kamina grinned, swiping a dumpling. 'Let's find a ship!'

* * *

And that's that for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed how I portrayed it. I was honestly torn between having yang be a total bitch so they'd fight and leave on bad terms, or do the above. But I spent some time watching bits and pieces up until volume 5, and I think she's grown a little too much for that. Besides, I don't want to tear them apart.


	41. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

READ THIS.

First of all I'd like to explain why I haven't been posting recently. So I had an injury earlier this year that caused a lot of problems and ultimately needed surgery. Since the surgery was really last minute, plus a bunch of other stuff, I was unable to post for a really long time. The surgery affected my arms and I haven't been able to use one of my hands for a very long time. Now that I'm allowed to move my arm on its own, at least for short periods, I should be able to write to some degree.

Before this it was nearly impossible to write properly with one hand, and Word's dictation function is more infuriating that anything else.

This is a personal issue so I won't go too much into it, and I hope you guys still want to read my new content.

On another note, I have started writing my own fiction novel. It's surprisingly hard to come up with good content, mainly because I keep questioning what I decide to put down, like what's the point of this scene? What's the purpose of this character? Is there a purpose to this dialogue? What kind of character exposition is this giving. Why does my writing sound so juvenile?

I think too much about this I guess. At the moment I have written five chapters, but I've planned about 30 chapters ahead. I suddenly understand why it takes writers 2 years to make one damn book, and I will no longer complain when I finish one and the second book says summer 2020 or something.

On a separate note, I think I'll only write at best five chapters for their journey to Mistral. No need to drag things out, and season six is out already.

* * *

'Ow.' Jaye muttered; the water steaming as it poured over his head. He sighed, touching the scars on his legs and back. Most of his wounds from the Fall were already gone, but he'd gained two extra scars from that. He touched them, feeling the freshly scarred skin sting under the hot water. He turned down the temperature, grumbling to himself. He stepped out of the bathroom, tousling his hair dry.

'How's the leg?' Kamina asked, and Jaye shrugged.

'Pretty normal. Doesn't hurt anymore, but it's still a little weak.' He chucked the towel into the basket by the bathroom door. 'Where's Indigo?'

'Dunno, she said something about cosmetics and just ducked out.'

'Cosmetics?'

'Yeah man. You know, the shit they put on their faces.'

'Since when does Indigo wear cosmetics?'

'She's a girl you know. You've experienced that firsthand.'

'Dude, not appropriate. Are you sure she said cosmetics?'

'Yep, positive.' Kamina kicked his feet up on the table. Jaye scratched his head, grabbing his swords from by the door.

'I'm going to go check on her.' He said, yanking the door open. He glanced down the hallway, ensuring it was clear, before slipping quietly to the staircase. He paused at the head, checking the restaurant below. Not spotting any distinctive features, he slid out the front door, peering out onto the street. He swore audibly, grabbing the nearest ledge and pulling himself up. Climbing atop the roof, he ducked behind a nearby chimney, keeping out of sight. He scanned the town quickly, spotting a flash of purple down an alleyway. He leaped off the building, charging after it, and slowed to a halt as he heard soft voices from the other side.

'So, why's the biggest information broker in the Vale faction coming to little old me for?' A black-hooded man asked. 'Surely you've got plenty of people running information by you, why the sudden need to see me?'

'Because I don't have anything about Mistral. Or the other kingdoms. To each their own, remember?' The deep, electronic sound of Indigo's voice modulator sounded from the purple hood. Jaye hugged the wall, pressing his back into it. 'You're the biggest information broker in Mistral. I'd wager you're here to pick up some information regarding the recent attack on Beacon. And I can help with that.'

'I'm sure you can,' The man laughed devilishly. His voice suddenly cut low, and he crossed his arms. 'So, what're we talking here? I give you the information and what, your partner silences me so the Mistral Faction won't know you're coming?'

'You're assuming I'll be attacking, or be attacked by them?'

'Last I heard, you've been working with little old Jaye bird. If that doesn't put you on the Faction's shit list, I'd be very surprised.'

'Maybe. But that's my concern, not yours.'

'Of course, it is. Fine then, what's the deal?' He asked, and Indigo raised a small thumb drive in her hand.

'This is all the details of the attack on Beacon, including the people involved. And I mean everyone; the White Fang leaders behind it, the assailants, and even a large portion of the Faction leaders that either supported it or stood by and watched it happen.' She gripped the thumb drive in her fist. 'I know how valuable this is.'

'Well now!' The man laughed heartily, slapping at his thigh. 'You're willing to give all that up in trade. Now I can't possibly take as much valuable information as that, assuming it's legit, without giving back equal in return.' His eye twinkled. 'That means you're after something important I know. Bad choice sweetheart, you've played your card and I haven't even shown my hand. Now I know how bad _you_ want what I have.'

'True.' Indigo wiggled the drive. 'But your bluff isn't going to drop the price. We both know that despite coming here, you've wound up with a whole lot of nothing. Anyone here that could have given you information is either dead or fled back to one of the other kingdoms. And civilian information can hardly make you a buck.' She pocketed the drive. 'I think that puts us on equal footing again.'

'Ahhh, you got me.' He said raising his hands into the air. 'Alright then, what do you need?'

'I need to know who in the Mistral Faction is siding with the White Fang and Cinder's group. I need to know how many of the leaders we can trust, and who might be possibly looking to take control of the Vale faction now that we're so broken up.' Indigo said, and he shrugged.

'That's an awful big request. It'll take me at least a day to get everything, and I might not even have confirmed info on all of it.'

'That's fine. I'll take what you have.'

Fine by me. We meet back here in two days, 8PM.'

'Deal.' Indigo pocketed the drive. 'I'm keeping this first. As insurance.'

'Wouldn't have it any other way.' He raised his hands, turning daintily on his heel and stalking down the alleyway. Indigo watched him until he rounded the corner, before turning and slipping out the opposite side.

'I know you're there Jaye, you might as well come out.' Jaye rolled his eyes, stepping out from behind a nearby dumpster. 'You suck at hiding.'

* * *

In The Room

* * *

'Why didn't you tell me you were doing this.' Jaye crossed his arms. Indigo shrugged, placing a small paper bag on the table.

'Because I didn't know I would either. I just so happened to spot him on my way back to the Tavern. I had no idea he was here.' She placed a hand on her hips. 'I'm honestly in the dark here.'

'Then what were you doing outside? Why would you lie to Kamina about buying cosmetics? We both know you don't use any.' He accused. Indigo raised an eyebrow, reaching into the paper bag and pulling out a case of foundation.

'Oh.' Jaye said, rocking on his heels. 'Sorry. But wait, why the sudden need for powder?'

'Whatever, I'm going to bed.' She turned and headed inside the bedroom. 'Kamina, join me once you're done.'

'Righto.' He called from the couch. He was currently eating popcorn, watching a movie on the tv, chewing the snack noisily.

'Where did you get that popcorn?' Jaye asked, raising an eyebrow. Kamina shrugged nonchalantly.

'Dunno.' He said. 'It just sorta happened.'

'Right.'

'Cool. Anyways, you can take the couch.'

'Oh thanks. Then where're you gonna sleep?'

'On the bed.'

'But there's only one bed, and Indigo's on it.'

'Yep.' Jaye opened his mouth, the words not coming out, and Kamina got up and stretched. He tossed the empty bag into the bin, grasping Jaye by the chin and pushing his mouth shut.

'Since when were you two a thing?' He said, finally, and Kamina shrugged.

'We're not. She just hates sleeping alone, and I needed a place to crash when I was hanging around Vale.' He patted the boy on the shoulder. 'Plus, she could use some company now, since you're such a daft idiot.

'What did I do?'

'Nothing. That's the problem.'

'That doesn't make any sense.'

'Sure it does. You're just too dumb to realize.' Kamina said crossing his arms. He lowered his voice to a whisper. 'Haven't you realized she's been crying herself to sleep at night?'

Jaye froze, the oblivious look stuck to his face, and Kamina raised a hand.

'Okay, yeah. I get it.' He sighed. 'Honestly you can be such an idiot at times. She's been buying foundation to mask the bags and puffiness.'

'I thought she was over it.' Jaye said, scratching his neck. 'She said she was fine.'

'And that is exactly the problem.' Kamina grabbed the boy by the shoulders. 'You are absolutely the WORST at reading emotions. And I mean seriously, the worst. Like, you are so bad at it, that you couldn't tell someone was sad until they completely broke down and killed themselves in front of you. And even then, you STILL wouldn't know why they did it.' He sighed, shaking the boy. 'The point is, if you'd bothered to pay attention, you'd have been able to tell over the past MONTH that she has not been okay. In fact, having you around probably made it worse. Why do you think when you were healing up, there were nights when she never came back?'

'I thought I didn't have the right to ask where she was going.' Jaye said sheepishly.

'Oh, but now you're asking her why she did that earlier without telling us?'

'Well, I mean, it's been a few months! I didn't think I had the right to do something like that when I was mooching off her hospitality.'

'You still are. She's paying for most of this you know.' Kamina slapped a hand into his face. 'Look either way, it's your fault, but at the same time it's not. Just be a little more considerate of her in the future.' He clapped the boy on the back. 'Look at it human. When you left the Faction, you left her by herself. I was dead, Damian is Damian, and you were being an asshat. She went through all of that alone. She's incredibly strong for making it this far by herself, but there's always a breaking point.'

'I know.' Jaye said, and Kamina shook his head.

'No. You don't. Imagine this, she lost me, then after that, had to spend ten months thinking you were dead. The moment you contact her, it turns out you've got another girl. How do you think that feels?'

Jaye slapped himself mentally. With all that had been going on, he'd never even thought to think about it that way. Kamina gave him a knowing look.

'She's not an easy girl you know.' He said. 'She didn't see a single other guy for those ten months you went missing. Now I can't blame you for falling in love with the blondie, things were always a little out of our hands. And she knows it too.' He wiggled his ears. 'But you're not making it any better by acting like you have.

'When I popped back into Vale what, some six months ago? We'd been staying together ever since you turned her down. Not once have we had sex. Not even comfort sex.' He winked at the boy. 'Think about that. I'm going to bed. Night.'

'Yeah. Night.' Jaye clenched his fists, standing stock still on the carpet. He watched the bedroom door close, kicking gently at the carpet. He dropped across the sofa, grabbing the blanket and pillow that had been placed there for him, and swore as he saw the popcorn crumbs dotting the casing.

* * *

Inside The Bedroom

* * *

'Hey, that hurts a little you know.' Kamina chuckled, stroking the auburn hair buried in his chest. Indigo rubbed her face into his shirt, squeezing him tighter around the waist. They were lying in the queen-sized bed, under the covers, and Indigo was crying into his chest.

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't be doing this.' She whispered, releasing the faunus boy. Kamina chuckled, placing a hand on her cheek. 'We've been friends for too long, I can't put you through this.'

'It's fine.' He said, stroking her hair. 'It's precisely because we've been friends for so long that I want to go through this for you.' He leaned down, wiggling his ears into her face. She laughed softly, placing her fingers on the furry appendages. 'You always were the more intimate type.'

'I'm sorry. I'm sure it's hard, being in such an intimate situation with someone like me.' She said, playing with his ears. 'You've been holding back a lot. I'm sorry.'

'Don't be.' He whispered, wiggling his ears in her hands. She giggled, and he smiled to himself. 'I'm more concerned about you.'

'I'm such a terrible person.' She whispered, letting go of his ears and rolling onto her back. Kamina looked up at her, and she covered her eyes with her arm.

'I told him I was over it, but here I am, crying myself to sleep, holding on to some semblance of hope that it'll somehow not work out for him. That I can be with him again.' She turned back to the faunus boy. 'I'm a terrible person, aren't I?'

'No, you're not. It's normal to feel jealous.' Kamina gathered her into his arms again. 'It's not easy to get through this. And I don't expect it to go away so fast. But you two will get through this. I know it.'

'Thank you.' Indigo whispered, closing her eyes and burying her face into his chest again. Kamina sighed, holding the girl close to him.

'You'll get over this. We'll all be fine again. You'll see.' He said, feeling her breathing slow beneath him, and he closed his eyes.

'You'll see.'

* * *

End. I hope the comforting scene didn't feel too sexual. Honestly, that was not what I was going for.


	42. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

* * *

'First things first, we need an airtight form of transport.' Jaye leant quietly against a nearby pillar, prodding at a nearby seagull. Kamina swatted his hand away, shooing the bird off.

'No shit sherlock.' He said, crossing his arms. 'That's why we're here.'

The trio were currently at the pier leading out of Patch. Jaye scouted the ship captains quietly, assessing them in turn.

'I don't think many of them would be very open to transporting people like us.' He said, and Kamina crossed his arms.

'I still don't see why we can't just take a commercial vessel.' He said, picking at his claws. 'No one's gonna follow some trail out of a rickety pier like this just because we paid for tickets.'

'We can't take the chance.' Jaye shook his head. 'Someone could have followed us to Patch, so we should be careful no one notices where we could be going. Boarding a ship bound for Mistral is like sending up a "come kill me" flare.'

'And like I said before, no one's looking for us here.' Kamina crossed his arms. 'I think we'd realize if we were being tailed. We go to all this secrecy and waste money bribing ship captains when that money would be better saved for lodging and other stuff once we actually GET to Mistral.'

'Three people are easier to track than one.' Jaye countered. 'Alone it's easy to know when you're being watched, but it's far easier to track a group than a single person. Leaving a trail is the _worst_ possible thing we could be doing right now.'

The two boys faced each other down, raised eyebrows and tempers flaring. Indigo pushed her way between them.

'Okay, we are not doing this right now, you hear me?' She glared at the two, and they turned away from each other sharply. 'We've been secretive enough coming to this harbor, I think we can spare a bit of caution to save a bit of cash.'

Jaye stared at the girl quietly for a few moments, and she met his stare stoically. He turned away from her abruptly, scratching his head.

'Fine. We compromise.' He turned back to the harbor. 'We don't have to pay off anyone, but we stick to the smaller vessels. AND we'll make a stop or two along the way to shake any trackers off.'

'Fine by me.' Kamina said, clapping the boy on the shoulder. 'Let's go boss.'

'Since when was I the boss?'

'When you started bossing people around.'

'…Whatever.' He marched out past the wall, pushing his way through the crowd of people. Indigo grabbed Kamina by the arm.

'Hey, you okay? You're being a lot more aggressive than you usually are.' She said, and Kamina shrugged.

'Yeah, I guess so. But Jaye's being over-cautious; he's acting like we're the most wanted criminals in the world right now. He's not thinking straight.' He said, scratching his neck. 'I _have_ to call him out on it, or he's gonna make some bad decisions. We both know over-cautiousness is just as likely to get you caught as carelessness.'

'Maybe so.' Indigo said, crossing her arms. 'But you're both being a bit childish. I expect you to be the bigger person, Mina.'

'Yeah.' He sniffed pointedly. 'I'll try,'

* * *

In the end, they got tickets to a small commercial ship. It was far smaller than the others and would be much harder to track as compared to a cruiser or a commercially laden vessel. It would take them half the journey, making a stop at a small island called Mire. The plan was to pick up another ship there, to either get to Mistral or at least most of the way. Jaye picked at his rice, raising an eyebrow at its contents.

'Fellas, I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say this, but I might actually die right now. Not from assassins, or grimm, but from this damn rice here.' He picked up a foul-looking grain. 'It'll be the ultimate joke right here. I survived thirty-eight missions, sixteen assassins, _and_ the fall of Beacon, to be killed by carbs.'

'Wouldn't be the first time.' Kamina pointed out. 'Remember that time you got poisoned in the middle of a mission because I dared you to eat a spider and it bit your tongue?'

'And it turned out to be venomous?' Indigo raised an eyebrow, and Jaye grimaced at the memory.

'And I _still_ managed to kill the guy and his guards, pull the files, administer an anti-venom, and escape before passing out.' He grinned, and they laughed. Jaye glanced over his shoulder, staring into the corner. A cloaked figure sat quietly by itself, features covered, and Jaye narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Kamina prodded him, and he swatted at the fox boy.

'It's rude to stare bro.' He joked, raising an eyebrow, popping a spoonful of chicken into his mouth. Jaye continued to watch the figure out of the corner of his eye, and Kamina lowered his voice. 'Think he's been tailing us?'

'Not sure. No sign of being followed, but I've been feeling eyes on us this whole time.' He said, pushing his rice away. Indigo placed a hand on her cheek, feigning a bored look. 'No one else it could be. He's not exactly discreet about it though.'

'Doesn't seem like someone we know.' She said. 'Might be a White Fang member staking us out.'

'Maybe.' Jaye said. 'But I can't imagine why the White Fang gives a shit about us.'

'Doubt it's a Vale Faction member.' Kamina pointed out. 'If they could have followed us here undetected, then we'd recognize them for sure. No one _that_ skilled at espionage would have gone unheard of by us. Besides, if he managed to go unseen all his while, why be spotted now?'

'Point taken.' Jaye said, leaning back leisurely in his chair. He mimed a conversation with Indigo, and she gave him a coy smile, glancing discreetly at the hood. 'Let's drag this out a bit.' He said, lips not moving, and they nodded imperceptibly. 'Time to play guess who.'

* * *

'So, he watched us from the top of the stairs, and hardly paced quietly when he approached the door.' Kamina slumped into the couch. 'He creaked the floorboards when his ear was to the door and didn't even have the sense to put his ear to the keyhole. He used the "cup to the door" method, which we all know doesn't work.'

'Looks like we were worried for nothing.' Jaye turned his nose up. 'He's a complete amateur.'

'But then begs the question. Why is he spying on us?' Indigo crossed her legs, sitting on the couch beside the fox boy. 'Who is he, and if he was following us how did he get here without us knowing? Plus, his room is barely a door down from us, which I think is hardly a coincidence.'

'I don't want to conjecture here, or even suggest this.' Jaye said, crossing his arms. 'But it might really be a White Fang member, who just _so happened_ to be in the tavern when we arrived and didn't actually follow us, and just so happens to be staying one room down from us.'

'Can we even afford to think like that?' Kamina stood up abruptly. 'We're going to such lengths to hide where we're going, and you're suggesting such an improbable situation?'

'I didn't say I liked the idea.' Jaye frowned, rubbing his temples. 'But I honestly can't think of any other explanation for all this weird behavior!'

'It might be a trap.' Indigo suggested. 'To make us focus on this pursuer, to distract us from the ones who are actually following us?'

'That sounds more likely.' Kamina said, making a "settled" gesture. 'Maybe we should've bribed a captain.'

'If this is a trap, it's a poor one.' Jaye said, crossing his arms. 'I'm not really buying it, but it'll be better to proceed as if we've been compromised.'

'Point taken.' Kamina pulled the curtains shut, locking the window and door. 'I'll take first watch.'

'Fine by me.' Indigo pulled a small drive out of her cloak. She plugged it into her scroll, and the boys leaned over it curiously. 'From the data we got from that broker I met the other day, it seems the Mistral Faction wasn't at all involved in the Fall of Beacon. But it doesn't seem like they were too opposed to the idea. They couldn't care less about the academies, so I doubt we can really rely on them for help.'

'Seems like they probably wouldn't care if Haven Academy fell.' Jaye said. 'But the first thing I want to do is find out their motive for attacking the academies. I don't think knocking out global communications holds much merit for the Faction.' He sat down heavily on the couch. 'It's not like they were even on the network, and if they were planning to seize Vale then knocking out the CCT would've given them away before they could gain a proper foothold.'

'I guess we'll find out when we get to Mistral.' Kamina said, yawning. He stretched out his arms, wiggling his ears, and sat himself in the sofa by the window. 'Should I do a little spying of our own?'

'No, best leave whoever it is unbothered.' Indigo shook her head, hanging up her cloak. 'If you go snooping and it really turns out to be a trap, then we'll all be in trouble.'

'All right.' His ears flicked in response. 'Your call.'

* * *

'I need to talk to you.' Indigo raised an eyebrow at the raven-haired boy, rubbing her hair with a towel.

'Then you can help me dry my hair.' She said, raising a brush and hair dryer to the boy. Jaye took the items from her quietly, plugging it into the wall. He switched on the device, running the brush through her hair, and she hummed gently at the dresser. They continued in a somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes, and Jaye cleared his throat uncomfortably.

'So, what'd you want to talk about?' Indigo asked, picking at her bangs. Jaye sighed, shaking the dryer to stop the heat from building up.

'How are you holding up?' He muttered, and Indigo placed a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

'I'm still crying myself to sleep at night, so that's that. In favor of saving money for the trip I stopped buying foundation, so now I just look terrible all the time. Oh, but the stabbing pain in my chest is finally starting to go away a little, so that's a plus.' She said matter-of-factly, and Jaye flinched as if she'd slapped him.

'Is this your version of spite?' He met her eyes in the mirror, raising an eyebrow, and she giggled.

'Yep, pretty much.' She stuck her tongue out, and he rolled his eyes at the girl. He lowered his voice, running the brush down her hair.

'I really hurt you, didn't I.' He whispered, and she stiffened slightly. He switched the dryer off, placing it down on the dresser, and ran the brush through her auburn locks.

'Yes, you did.' She said, twisting her fingers together on her lap. Jaye sighed, picking at a tangled knot.

'I'm sorry.'

'I know.'

'I can't fix this.'

'You don't have to. Sometimes things just aren't meant to be, you know? You made a choice, and I respect that.' Indigo scratched her cheek nonchalantly. 'I just need to find out how to deal with it until things blow over.'

'I'll try to make it easier for you.'

'Don't. You'll probably just make things worse.' Indigo ran a hand through her hair. 'It's dry now, thanks.'

'Alright.' Jaye placed the brush down on the table, turning away from the girl. 'I don't really know what to say now, but we're still here for you.'

'I know.' Indigo smiled, running her fingers through her hair. She let her hands fall back to her lap. 'But I'm sorry too.'

'For what?'

'I'm not dealing with this like I should be, you're not the only one at fault.' She grimaced at herself, clasping her hands together. 'To be honest, when I heard the blondie wasn't going to be coming with us, I was happy. Elated. And that disgusts me.'

'I can't blame you for that.' Jaye said, and Indigo glanced at him over her shoulder.

'But I can.' She said. 'It's wrong, and I'm just being petty and jealous, but knowing it doesn't make things any easier. It just makes it all the clearer where I'm lacking.'

Jaye paused at the door, touching the doorframe lightly with a hand. Indigo waved him off, turning back to the dresser.

'I'm fine. I'll deal with it. I have to.' She said, staring at herself in the mirror. 'I'm a bad person, and I need to deal with it like a woman.' She ran her fingers through her hair. 'I need to fix myself. It's something I should've done a long time ago.'

* * *

Outside The Door

* * *

The cloaked figure pressed his ear to the bottom of the glass, swearing under his/her breath as it still didn't work. Finally giving up, he slipped away from the door as quietly as he could, approaching his own two doors down. He fumbled with the key, nearly dropping it onto the hard wood floor. He made a relatively high-pitched sound of alarm, finally getting the key into the lock and slipping into the room. A girl sat quietly by the window, and she rose to her feet as he came in.

'Apollo! Is it them?' She asked, and he nodded, unclasping the cloak around his neck.

'I'm positive.' The boy, Apollo, said. His voice was soft and high-pitched, and he threw his hood back to reveal a rather feminine face identical to the girl across him. 'It's him, Artemis. It's him.'

'I see.' The twin, Artemis, breathed. She slumped against the table, running a hand through her hair. Her cat ears twitched as she brushed past them, and her tail swished back and forth in alarm. 'Do you think they've noticed us?'

'I don't think so.' Apollo said, shaking his head. 'I think they would've made a move if they'd noticed us. We probably don't even matter to people like them.'

'That's good.' Artemis relaxed, her ears dropping against her hair, and Apollo approached the girl quietly. He bundled her into his arms, and she wrapped her tail fearfully around his leg. 'Do you think we can beat them?'

'We've trained for three years since then. I think we have a fighting chance.' He said, squeezing the girl tight. 'We'll finally get to avenge mom and dad after all these years.'

'Yeah.' She said, chuckling weakly. 'Maybe I'll finally be able to sleep at night without the pills.'

'I promised you I'd find them.' Apollo said, glaring out the window. He watched the rain beat down on the sill, tracing the droplets that tracked down the glass surface.

'We stumbled onto them by accident, silly.' She whispered, releasing the boy and dropping down onto the bed. 'We'll use this opportunity that's fallen onto our laps. God must be on our side.'

'Yeah. What we're doing is justice.' He breathed, touching his hands to the windowsill. 'They'll finally get what they deserve.'

* * *

And that ends this chapter. I hope this is interesting enough for you guys, because I'm not really sure how to continue from here despite the developments. Like I have a path planned out, but I'm not entirely sure how to begin approaching the storyline that I've thought up. I've done a lot or rewriting because I honestly feel like I'm starting to drop in terms of quality, like I'm too eager to get to the good parts. So I'm going to pace it and develop each chapter properly.


	43. Chapter 42

Hello, I'm back. First of all, sorry for the slow updates, I've been writing a bunch of short story pieces and playing a lot of overwatch haha. I just made my submission to a writing competition for fantasy and sci-fi writers, so I'll see how I do. Wish me luck.

Chapter 42

* * *

Jaye shot awake as he rolled off his bunk, swearing as he hit the floor. Groaning, he rubbed his back, swearing again as his shield fell onto his face. Pushing the equipment off him, he staggered to his feet, shaking his head to clear it.

'You look like shit.' Jaye squinted at the newly-opened door. Kamina leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms.

'Can't entirely get used to sleeping on swaying ground.' Jaye said, strapping his weapons over his back. 'It's like sleeping in a hammock. And I hate hammocks.'

'Yeah me too.' Kamina grumbled, stepping out as Jaye pushed past. 'I always feel like I'm floating.'

'Whatever. Just one more day of this crap.' He said, scratching his head. The fox boy stumbled as the ship rocked, nearly cracking his head into the wall, and Jaye laughed as he regained his balance. They'd boarded the ship to Mire for now and spotted two hooded figures tail them onto the ship. Identical cloaks, as well as stature and height, it was definitely the hooded figure from the previous night.

* * *

Jaye leaned against the rail quietly, tapping his finger against the rusting metal. Kamina leaned casually next to him, Indigo under his arm. Using looking at Kamina's face as an excuse, she watched the pair discreetly. Jaye poked at his scroll, feigning disinterest.

'Seems like hood fella definitely has an accomplice. Third time seeing them together, and they haven't left each other's company since appearing.' Indigo pointed out, glancing at the pair across the deck from them. 'Reckon we should say hello?'

'Yeah.' Jaye rolled his eyes, lips not moving. 'What's your pickup line gonna be? Hey sweetheart wanna play? I can rock you better than the boat.'

'Might not work though.' Kamina said. 'One's a girl.'

The pair stared at the fox boy curiously, and he stared back, blinking slowly. Jaye raised an eyebrow.

'Hey, I mean, I'm not judging or anything. She might swing that way, you never know.' Kamina raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, and Jaye shook his head.

'How'd you figure?' He asked, and Kamina shrugged.

'Hey man, it's just speculation. I don't know which team she plays for.' He scratched his ear. 'They might play for both, you know.'

'Not that you idiot.' Jaye rolled his eyes. 'How'd you figure out one of them is a girl?'

'Oh…well. Gait, plus general posture. One of them stands with her legs too close together to be a guy, plus she walks with her feet in nearly a straight line. The other walks in two parallel lines like most guys do.' He sniffed pointedly. 'Also, they're downwind from us. Boys and girls have pretty distinct scents. I'm also pretty sure that the girl's faunus.'

'Damn, you can tell all that from smell? All I can smell is the sea.' Jaye asked, and Kamina shook his head.

'To a degree. Boys and girls have different scents, pretty obvious especially to Faunus like me with a better sense of smell. Faunus also smell ever so slightly different from humans.' He picked at his claws. 'I'm confident the girl's a faunus because I saw a tail under that cloak earlier.'

'Hmm, so a human and faunus.' Jaye pondered, staring into the glass of the dining room. He watched them through the reflection, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 'Any idea who they might be? Manage to catch a glimpse of their faces?

'No one from the Vale Faction matches their descriptions, and I highly doubt the White Fang would let a human work with them.' Kamina said, his ears twitching as the cold breeze blew past them. 'Torchwick seemed like an exception.'

'Guess we're in the dark here then.' Jaye crossed his arms. 'I guess that puts us in a bind. Time to do some digging.'

* * *

Jaye peered around the corner of the ship quietly, watching the two hooded figures march past the doors. He watched as one of them unlocked a door, slipping inside. He waited quietly, but they didn't seem to be coming out. Stepping out from his hiding spot, he scrambled for cover as the door opened. Slipping out of sight, he heaved a sigh as the pair seemed not to notice him, and they locked the door behind them. Taking a breath to calm his nerves, he stepped out of his hiding spot, marching up determinedly behind them. Kamina and Indigo walked down he stairs ahead of them, rounding the edge as they did so. Jaye raised a hand, waving at them as he jogged forward.

'Hey!' He called, making an "oof" sound as he crashed into Hood number 2. He grabbed her by the shoulders, brushing her off.

'Oh man, sorry about that!' He said, grinning widely at the faunus girl. He turned away from her, waving again at Kamina and Indigo, who were leaning by the rail waiting for him.

'Dude come on, I know you're an idiot, but don't go ramming into people!' Kamina chuckled, and Jaye flipped him off.

'I'll ram my fist into you, asshat.' He cussed, pushing the boy down the hallway. They laughed as they went, disappearing past the wall, rounding the corners and slipping out of sight. His two teammates glanced at him, and he raised the key concealed in his hand.

'Nice work.' Indigo said. 'Once they're gone we'll slip into the room. Kamina and I will chill outside here to keep watch. We'll give you ten minutes to search the place.' She turned to the fox boy. 'I apologize in advance if I have to kiss you.'

'It's necessary.' Kamina shrugged, leaning against the wall. 'Good thing our room's nearby.'

'All right.' Jaye said. They'd used this tactic on missions before, but usually it was Kamina and Damian searching the rooms, while he and Indigo would "make out" outside, blocking the door. He peered around the wall, watching the two hooded figures ascend the steps. 'On second thought, let's wait till evening before we do that.'

'Why?' Kamina asked. 'The room's right there, completely unguarded.'

'Let's wait till they go to get food. That'll be guaranteed to buy us some time.' Indigo chipped in. 'Plus it'll look really suspicious if we suddenly start hanging around here just a few minutes after we seemingly left.'

'Fair point.' Kamina said, swishing his ears back and forth. 'In that case let's go get some grub of our own.'

* * *

'For once, good food.' Jaye said, giving the two a satisfied look. Kamina raised an eyebrow at the boy, popping a tomato in his mouth.

'For once I can't make fun of you, this food is really good.' Indigo said, shoveling noodles into her mouth. 'Better than what I'd expect from a random small-time ship on the docks.'

'That's because it's got that rustic Mire charm!' They heard laughter erupt from behind them and sat up straight as they spotted the chef walking int heir direction. 'Though I guess saying it's authentic Mire cuisine tends to dry up the taste buds.'

'Let's hear them say that after they smell it.' Jaye said, raising his glass to the man. The chef laughed heartily, placing his hands on either side of his surprisingly small belly.

'The only ones who'll do that are the Mireans themselves!' He grinned, leaning down and resting his hands against the table. 'They seem to love everyone else's cooking except their own.' He rubbed his chin. 'You folk don't look like you're from around here; anyone else living at these docks would've been able to recognize Mirean cooking right off the bat.'

'We're sightseeing.' Kamina said, resting his elbows on the table. 'Just came from Vale, heading on down to Mistral, then probably to Vacuo.' He grinned widely. 'The wild life I suppose.'

'Sounds adventurous.' The chef said, extending a hand and shaking each of theirs in turn. 'The name's Ray. Your good old Mirean chef.'

'Pleasure.' Indigo said, flashing him a dazzling smile. He grinned right back, and she tapped a finger on her wine glass. 'I don't suppose you could tell us a little about Mire then? We haven't been, but it'd be a waste to just show up there not knowing what to do.'

'Course I can missy, wouldn't be a troublesome thing.' He said, plopping down in the chair. 'But for all the world, I would give a life to be right here where the crows are.'

The three teammates glanced across each other, raising their eyebrows. Ray had just spoken the first half of the Faction passcode, a way to identify comrades and allies when you were out in the wild. Ray raised an eyebrow at them, grinning widely.

'And for all the world, I'd take a life to stay where the crows are.' Jaye responded, raising his wine glass to the man. Ray grinned even wider (as impossible as it looked) pouring out a glass for himself. The other two filled their glasses, raising them together. Toasting, they drank briefly, placing their glasses down.

'So, what do you need to know?' Ray said, fiddling with a knife on the table. 'I can't think that the legendary team RHKD would come down here for no reason.'

'Well we didn't lie.' Kamina chirped brightly. 'We're heading to Mistral.'

'And stopping off in Mire to throw off any pursuers I suppose.' Ray said, swirling his glass. 'Makes sense; I'd do it to.'

'What the Faction presence like in Mire?' Indigo asked, crossing her arms. 'I can't think their reach hasn't expanded out there as well.'

'Afraid not missy.' Ray said, leaning back in his chair. 'Mire's pretty neutral as far as anyone's concerned. It has a Faction branch there for formality sake, but they don't do much. Almost no business there; no drug runners, weapon rings, thievery, or even information to be got out there. A few notable figures, but they've largely retired anyway, otherwise they wouldn't be in Mire.' He took a sip ostentatiously. 'Perfect place to try to go unnoticed. Big trading hub too, so perfect place to run drops.'

'Then I assume it's just a trade hub that acts as a middle man.' Jaye said. 'A trade hub that isn't actually part of the market itself. Hard to track a single shipment amongst hundreds of others. Makes it perfect to hide or mediate drugs and weapons.'

'Bingo.' Ray said, waving his glass. 'We have a winner. Yeah, it's the biggest port for international drug and weapon trade in and out of Vale. Particularly between Vale and Mistral. Though now I suppose trade will eventually grind to a halt, what with the fall of Beacon and all.' He winked at them, taking a sip. 'Nice place to find a few allies against the Vale take over, especially with most of that little organization on your asses.'

'So why aren't you trying to kill us?' Indigo rapped her fingers on the table. 'I assume you're with the Vale faction.'

'Correctemundo.' He said, scratching his head. 'And I was against the Vale take over the moment I heard about it. I might be part of the Faction, but I was mainly just an admin overseer. In the end, what with Vale falling and the chaos and all that crap, it was easy to just slip away in all the confusion. Live my life doing what I wanted to do.' He raised one of the plates in the air. 'Cook! And as you can see, I'm doing well enough for myself.'

'How do you know we haven't come aboard to kill you?' Jaye asked, tilting his glass to his lips. Ray laughed hysterically, banging his fist on the table, and the three teammates raised their drinks off to avoid spillage.

'As if someone was going to send you to kill me!' He laughed. 'I'm not important enough for that. They're more likely to just ignore my existence.' He drummed his fingertips into the tabletop. 'No one would trust me even if I went to them with the information I had, which is nearly useless anyway, and if they wanted me dead, they'd hire someone cheaper. Plus, last I heard, little old Jaye bird here is on the Faction's shit list.' He leveled his eyes with the rest of them. 'And so are all of you.'

'You're well informed.' Indigo said, smiling sultrily at the man. 'Maybe you can help us then.'

She leaned forward coyly, pressing her breasts against the table, and Ray's eyebrows went up in appreciation. Jaye felt a flash of annoyance pass across his face and turned away. Ray chuckled into his wine.

'Much as I appreciate the amazing view, you don't have to pull any of that with me.' He said, tilting the glass. 'I'm more than open to answering any of the questions you have for me. I have nothing to gain from hiding it from you, and money isn't exactly a high priority for me.'

'Then that makes things easier then.' Kamina said, grinning widely at the man. 'We've been being followed by two hooded figures on this ship but, try as we like, we can't figure out who they are. Faces are a blank, no descriptions match for the Vale Faction, and we have no way to find out where else they're from. They're in room forty-two.'

'I'll have a word with the captain.' Ray nodded, putting his glass down on the table. 'He and I are pretty chummy, ad he knows where I'm from and doesn't give a crap. I'm sure he'd be happy to oblige a favor from some "old friends" of mine.'

* * *

And that's chapter 42 done. Yes I made it room 42 because I was lazy, deal with it. On another note, I've been watching Volume 6, and I love it so far. I especially love that we're now going into the specifics of Ozpin's and Cinder's relationship, and I can't wait to get to the chapter where they finally meet up and everything goes through. I want to write the attack on Haven super bad, and I'm super hyped to learn more about the story as it comes along and where they're gonna go from here. Monty Oum is a legend, and I love this series more and more as it comes along.

PS, I totally bought one of those Beacon Academy jackets because why the hell not. It's a little big for me though, because it's made for Americans, and I'm a smaller than average Asian height wise. And for anyone that doesn't know or isn't sure, I'm male by the way. Just thought I'd put it out there.


	44. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

* * *

'What do you mean nothing?' Jaye said, sitting down in a huff. 'Like nothing nothing, or nothing of use nothing?'

'Nothing nothing.' Ray said, crossing his arms. 'I pulled their faces and names off the passenger list, but nothing came up when I searched them. No records of employment, study or residence. Not even a damned phone number.'

It was just before dinner, and Ray had managed to get ahold of some info for them. They were huddled in their room, door locked, and curtains drawn. The hooded figures had yet to go to dinner, and they were currently debating the necessity to raid the room.

'So they're with the Faction then?' Indigo asked, and Ray shook his head.

'No one matches that description even in the Mistral branch.' He said. 'Might be they're even bigger than we think they are, or they're really nobodies and then you guys are at square one.'

'They might be using fake names?' Kamina suggested. 'It could explain the lack of info.'

'I already considered that.' Ray said. 'I ran facial recognition, so I ought to have come up with something.'

'Damn, looks like we might have to get into their room after all.' Jaye said, crossing his arms. 'I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this.'

'Doubt they'll leave anything in that room that's traceable.' Indigo said, and Jaye nodded.

'That's the point. If we find nothing, not even prints, then we know for sure we're dealing with some kind of organization. Regular folk wouldn't have access to those kinds of things.' He said, and Kamina nodded in assent.

'Yeah. It would also cement the possibility that this is a trap.' He said, his ears twitching. 'If they were working for an organization, they couldn't possibly be this bad.'

'What were their names?' Jaye asked, and Ray scratched his head.

'The boy's name's Apollo, the girl is Artemis.' He answered. 'Aside from that, no idea. No last names, age, or anything. You lot better be on guard.' He got up from his chair. 'I'm heading back to the kitchen. You lot want any grub?'

'Make me a sandwich.' Kamina piped, and when the group raised an eyebrow at him, he grinned mischievously. 'I'm serious, I want a sandwich. Get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich.'

'Look at you, objectifying men and everything.' Ray chuckled, and Kamina placed a hand over his heart, an accused look on his face.

'Ha ha.' Jaye said obligingly, rolling his eyes at the faunus. 'Let's get moving. It's almost evening.'

* * *

After eating a quiet dinner in their room, courtesy of Ray, the three waited patiently for the hooded pair to step out for dinner. Jaye leaned against the glass of his door, watching the two pace quietly up the stairs. They waited a few minutes, until he was sure they weren't coming back, before they opened their own door quietly. Pulling a set of lockpicks out of his pocket, Jaye set to work on the door, while Kamina and Indigo stood in front of him, shielding him from prying eyes. Kamina's ear twitched.

'You missed the pin.' He whispered, and Jaye swore at him.

'Piss off asshat.'

'Shut up you third-rate burglar.'

'You shut up fox boy.'

'You missed the pin again!'

'Why don't you come do it smartass?'

'I would, but you're too busy being an idiot.'

'Both of you shut up.' Indigo hissed, pressing up against Kamina. 'For god's sake Kamina put your arm over me.'

Finally getting the lock open, Jaye pushed the door open quietly, sliding in through the space. Adjusting his gloves, he made sure his fingers were covered, although he knew they were, before he began searching carefully. He dusted the windowsill and chairs, raising an eyebrow as he immediately found several sets of fingerprints. Whether they were the two's fingerprints or not, the fact that they hadn't wiped the room didn't bode well for him. He pulled out an imprinter, getting as many copies of fingerprints as he could. They could sort through them later, but for now he just needed to find the most likely areas that would have been wiped before they came and would be cleaned if they were intent on erasing fingerprints. He found two sets on the bathroom handles and shower head, two more on the light switch, and more on the bags in the corner. He thought they'd at least wipe their own things for prints, but they didn't. That made things clear: they weren't working for an organization.

He swore aloud, covering his mouth immediately, and continued digging. Going through their personal belongings, he found nothing of interest. Underwear, change of clothes, random dagger, toothbrush, money pouch. He swore again. He eyed the weapons in the corner; there were two sets of bows and hunting knives. He dusted the handles for prints, finding more, and honestly wondered why he didn't think to dust those first.

* * *

Outside

* * *

'How are you feeling now?' Kamina whispered, holding Indigo closer to him. She faked a laugh, grinning up at him.

'I'm doing better, feeling a lot better.' She replied, a broad smile on her face as a few people passed by. They were leaning against the wall beside their tailers' door, pretending to have an intimate conversation. Physical intimacy tended to turn prying eyes away and make others uncomfortable. It helped reduce suspicion and risk of detection, and was an age old tactic when it came to stakeouts, searches and stealth. It used to always be Jaye and Indigo who did it, and Kamina and Damian would do their searches or assassinations. Things were, of course, different this time around.

'Do you think you'll be okay soon?' Kamina asked, and Indigo screwed up her face in thought.

'I don't know. I don't think I'll ever know for sure. But things will work out eventually, you know?' She tapped her chin. 'Having something to do helps.'

'Let's hope we always have something to do then.' Kamina grinned, and they laughed, genuinely, for the first time. Turning his attention back to the stairwell across from them, Kamina raised an eyebrow as someone rounded the corner, turning his eyes back to Indigo. Indigo watched the man through a small pocket mirror in her hand, and they continued to talk.

'Seriously though, Mina, thanks.' Kamina glanced at her quizzically, the person vanishing into another room across them, and Indigo cleared her throat.

'What for?'

'For being there. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been here for me all the way through.' She wiped her eyes quickly, turning her attention back to the pocket mirror. 'If you really were dead, and all this happened, I probably would have fallen apart completely. I'm really grateful for you.'

'Goes both ways you know.' Kamina whispered, chuckling nervously. He rubbed his neck, a nervous look flashing across his face. 'It was…tough in the dust mines. It really was. I can't even begin to count the number of times I wanted to just give up and die.' He scratched his ears. 'There were only a few things that kept me going; indignation, furious pride, and a lot of swearing.'

Indigo placed a hand on his chest, and Kamina glanced sheepishly down at his shoes. He coughed a few times, and she patted him reassuringly. Taking a shaky breath, he finally met her gaze once more.

'But you know…those things can only keep you going for so long. There were so many beatings, so much torture, so little food, and so much pain. It was hell there, even now I can't believe I really survived.' He licked his lips nervously, ears flicking about anxiously. 'It was hard. Every night I went to sleep cold and hungry; I don't think there was a day I went without bleeding. But when all my pride, my anger, my will, had been crushed to nothing, I wound up thinking of us.'

Indigo rubbed his head gently, and Kamina covered his eyes with a hand.

'You, Jaye, hell even Damian. You guys kept me going when I was in there.' He coughed slightly. 'I would have fallen apart if not for the bonds we had. Only the thought of coming back to you guys kept me going. I owe you guys more than you realize.'

'Mina…' Indigo touched a hand to his cheek, and he chuckled softly.

'When I broke out, I actually nearly died. Got shot in the back on the way out because I went back for my locket. They apparently placed clothing and weapons in different places.' He grinned. 'I nearly passed out from the blood loss, but I still kicked ass and vanished. Totally worth it.'

'That was dumb.' The auburn-haired woman laughed. 'We could have just gotten you another one.'

'Nah, this is one of a kind.' He patted the locket against his chest. Indigo pulled our her own, cradling it in her palm. 'Nothing can replace this.'

'Yeah, I get that.' She said, gazing down at it. The two teammates smiled at each other, putting the accessory away in their shirts.

'Look at me, getting all sentimental and stuff.' He said, touching her hand and sniffing nonchalantly. 'Alright, sappy time is over, let's get back to work. Also, I think someone's coming down the stairs. Quick, use a pick-up line on me.'

'Hey there sweetheart, wanna play? I can rock you better than the boat.'

'That's hot.'

* * *

'Goddamit.' Jaye swore under his breath, placing his hands on his hips. Despite going through just about everything in the room, he'd found nothing to clue them in on who Artemis and Apollo were. He stashed his newly acquired prints in his pouch, giving the room a glance over once more. Everything had been returned to just about how it was; nothing looked upset, and his gloves would prevent anyone picking up his prints. He glanced out the window, watching the sea spray splatter against the glass. Swearing quietly to himself again, he prepared to leave the room, resting his knuckles against the door. He went to knock, before a flash of light passed by his eye. He flinched away instinctively, snarling under his breath, and searched for the source. The setting sun's rays peered through the window, and he flinched as the light flashed once more. Catching the little bright spot, he darted over to the bed, sticking his head under the wooden frame. He burst into a dust bunny, coughing the foul dust bomb out of his face and regretting all his life choices, before seizing the source of the light flashes under the bed. It was a small wooden box with a silver lock on it, and he immediately set to work on it, sliding his picks into the tiny crevice. It came apart easily; it was one of those cheap little two Lien locks with just a single pin and a spring, and he flipped it open. He balked at the contents, raising it in his hand.

Clutched between his fingers were a bunch of photographs, the kind parents would put in their kids' albums, and he let them fall back into the box. He swore again, staring back into the wooden storage item, wondering if there was anything he'd missed. He doubted it; anything protected with such a crappy lock was hardly worth anything, and he raised an eyebrow at the toddler photos of their two pursuers. They were distinctly male and female. The female was a faunus, Kamina was right on the money, with cat ears and a tail, while the boy was a bright faced child that seemed to laugh a lot. He squinted at the photographs, something tugging on the edge of his mind. The two certainly bore resemblance to their ID photos, and considering their names were scrawled on the back of the photos he deduced that they weren't fake.

'Apollo and Artemis huh?' He pondered, tapping a finger on his chin. 'Where have I heard those names before?'

The two toddlers in the photo seemed extraordinarily familiar to him. He raised an eyebrow at the photos, peering closely at them. In the pictures they looked around ten or eleven and judging from the age of the photographs it had only been a few years since then. The two were most likely teenagers, and Jaye grimaced. Most criminal organizations had no issues recruiting teenagers or even children. He revised his earlier thought; they could still be working for one, just that they were expendable and so there was no need to train them well. He screwed up his eyes in concentration, but try as he might, he couldn't put a finger on where he had seen the two before.

* * *

In The Meantime, Outside

* * *

Apollo and Artemis stood quietly, fidgeting on the spot, unsure of what to do. The girl had turned beet red up to the base of her ears, and Apollo was staring at his shoes. They kept glancing up at the pair pressed against their door, ignoring them completely and focused entirely on an intense make-out session.

Indigo had pinned Kamina to the wall, eyes screwed shut and her lips sealed onto his. He stroked a hand up her back, running it through her hair, and she pressed her body into his much larger one. Sliding a leg between his, she moaned audibly into his lips, slamming her palm into the door. The twins flinched at the loud sound, and stood awkwardly as they continued, unabashed. After a good number of seconds of intense making out, Artemis, ears swishing, raised her voice.

'Um…!' She squeaked, making a high-pitched noise of alarm as Kamina roughly turned Indigo around, jamming his elbows into the door and making the slam of a lifetime. She trembled slightly as they continued, ignoring her, and Apollo shifted awkwardly. Kamina's ears twitched in response to the movement, and he grabbed Indigo's wrist, pushing it up against the door. In the cover of his own hand, he relayed the information to her with a series of rapidly drawn gestures in her palm. She squeezed his finger in response, relaxing into him, and finally Apollo found his voice.

'Excuse me!' He called, face redder than a tomato, and the two broke apart for a moment. Indigo narrowed her eyes at the boy, and he flinched away from her gaze.

'What? Can't you see we're busy?' She said, huffing at the teenager and turning her attention back to Kamina. She stroked his cheek, peering over his arm at the boy. 'Go away kid, the adults are talking.'

'Umm.' He muttered, raising his finger at the door, and Indigo raised a sarcastic eyebrow at him. 'That's our room.'

'What did you say?' She spat, twirling a finger through her auburn locks and looking as disgruntled as possible. 'Speak up boy, I can't hear you when you're blabbing through your teeth.' She narrowed her eyes at him once more. 'Do you have something to say?'

'That's our room!' He finally exclaimed, nearly trembling on the spot. Bewildered, Indigo turned to check the door number, patting her head with a knuckle like she'd forgotten something.

'Ah, ours is next door. Easy mistake, don't make a fuss over it.' She waved a hand dismissively at the two, and they practically flinched in response to the movement. 'But I can see why you'd be impatient with such a cutie pie next to you.' She leaned towards the two, who immediately took an unconscious step backwards. 'Having a nice cruise with your girlfriend huh? Teenagers these days.'

'N-No!' The girl squeaked, waving her hands in a rather comical fashion at the two. 'He's my brother! We're twins!'

'Huh? Is that so?' Indigo said, now focusing on her nails. It was clear she hadn't even heard them, and neither did she care. The two made uncomfortably faces once more. 'Well I'm not one to judge; have fun with whoever you like. Just don't get too loud, or you'll ruin my groove.'

The two immediately turned beet-red, yelling at the woman who waved them off dismissively. Grabbing the faunus boy by the hand, she dragged him over to their own door, winking at Apollo as she passed him.

'Fine fine, we're going. You two love-siblings happy?' She said haughtily, laughing as they continued to bluster.

* * *

Inside The Room

* * *

Jaye jumped as a massive slam erupted from the door, and immediately set the box back under the bed, kicking it out of sight. He gave the room a one over, scanning quickly for any signs of displacement. He heard a few muffled voices through the door, doing a scan of the room and pressing his ear to the door gap. He heard Indigo talking to someone, and recognized the bitchy, sarcastic persona she always used when the inhabitants of the room showed up. He swore under his breath, running across to the window and unlocking it. He yanked it open, sliding it until he had access to the outside of the ship, and reached through for the metal ledge above. He grabbed onto the window ledge, pulling himself out and lowering himself until he found purchase with his feet on a nearby metal ring. Sticking his head back in through the gap, he went over the room once more. A flash of metal caught his eye, and he swore into the wind. He'd left the lock for the box on the floor.

'Fine fine, we're going. You two love-siblings happy?' Indigo's voice rang clearly through the door, and he dived back into the room. Swiping the lock off the ground, he dashed to the bed, snapping it back into the loop of the box, and fumbled. The lock clacked onto his boot, and he scrambled for it as it bounced away across the floor. He snatched it back up again, looping it through the item and locking the box. Kicking it under the bed, he charged to the window and dived out feet first like a drop kick, grabbing hold of the windowsill as he did so. Slamming into the side of the ship, he cussed out the metal dome, feeling the pain spread throughout his body, grabbing the window and sliding it shut just as the door opened. He ducked his head back down, praying that they hadn't spotted him, and quickly shimmied over to the window to his own room.

Apollo and Artemis stepped inside, their footsteps soft on the carpeted ground, and they sank down into the furniture there. Artemis stuck her head under the bed, spotting the box, and reached out to touch it anyway.

'I don't think they know who we are.' Apollo said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. 'Those two are accomplices of his; they must be the Indigo and Kamina we heard about.'

'Yeah, that's most likely the case.' Artemis swished her tail back and forth anxiously. 'She was so scary!'

'She was seriously terrifying.' Apollo shuddered, rubbing his arms. 'She behaves so differently from how she looks. They might be even bigger than we thought.'

'But still, we're not here for them.' The faunus girl twitched her ears, cradling the locked box in her hands. 'We're just here for him. We're just here for Joseph.'

'Yeah, I know. But I'm sure they'll get in our way.' Apollo stared angrily out the window, narrowing his eyes at the waves. 'Just you wait Joseph. Just you wait.'

The two jumped as a loud clunk sounded from outside their window, and the twins glanced across each other.

'I thought I heard someone swearing outside.' Artemis said, her ears flicking about. 'It sounded kind of familiar.'

Apollo dashed to the window, throwing it open and sticking his head out. He scanned the side of the ship, glancing up at the deck above them, and saw no one. He raised an eyebrow at his surroundings, slowly dragging his head back inside. He peered out once more but saw no signs of disturbance, only the waves crashing against the side of the boat. He closed the windows suspiciously, returning his attention to the girl.

'I didn't see anything.' He said, and she nodded in response.

'Maybe it came from above deck.' She reasoned. 'I guess I'm just a little jumpy.'

Peals of laughter burst through the wall beside them, and the twins raised a communal eyebrow at the room next door.

* * *

In RKHD's Room

* * *

Jaye rolled down across the floor, reeling in his anger and his breath as Kamina continued to laugh at him. He swatted at the faunus boy's legs, swearing with every breath, and Kamina promptly sat down on his stomach. He threw off the laughing fox boy, getting to his feet and flipping him off.

He'd managed to escape the attention of the twins for now, although it was a close call. Aside from nearly getting caught in the room, and sea spray had made it incredibly difficult to hang on to the side of the ship, a nearly grave miscalculation as he'd nearly fallen off the boat, and although he made it to their window with relative ease, Kamina had forgotten to unlock the window.

That had resulted in Jaye hanging off the windowsill, hammering at the glass until the two noticed him and opened the window. At which point, Kamina elected instead to press his nose to the glass instead and make faces at the furious boy hanging off the side of the ship. Indigo had finally opened the window, and Jaye promptly swore his way back into the room.

'Did you have fun HANGING out?' Kamina grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at the still swearing boy. Jaye locked eyes with him for a long moment, clenching and unclenching his fists.

'Fuck you, you son of a furry faunus bitch.'

'Love you too baby.'

* * *

Bet that totally fit in with Kamina's personality. I realized it's a lot harder to decide on concrete actions that characters would take, because I start to question "Would my character do this? Would that be his personality? Or is that MY personality?"

In the end, I just decided to roll with it.


	45. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

* * *

Jaye rolled off his bed, groaning into the floor as he pushed himself off from it. Kamina didn't laugh at him for once, picking himself up off the floor as the boat continued to sway, and they both agreed that they wouldn't ever get used to sleeping on such a vehicle. Indigo on the other hand seemed pristine and undisturbed, snoozing peacefully in her bed even as the swaying worsened, mumbling quietly in her sleep and rolling to find a more comfortable position. The two boys swore communally at her, electing instead to fight over who was going to use the bathroom first. The custom was glorious single combat, but it seemed that in order not to wake Indigo up they would have to play rock-paper-scissors instead.

'Bitch.' Jaye lost that round.

'Dickhead.' He lost again.

'Go drown in the toilet bowl.' They were doing best out of five.

'Go drink from it you damned dog.' He wasn't doing so hot.

'Asshat.' After losing a sound five rounds of five, Jaye sat unhappily back down on his bed and watched Kamina saunter his way into the bathroom, swinging the door shut with a flourish, and resigned himself to quietly watching Indigo's snoozing face in the morning sun while waiting for the furry bastard to finish grooming his ears. Indigo blinked her eyes open, squinting at Jaye as she did so, and sat up slowly, clutching the sheets to her chest.

'Watching me sleep now are we? There's only so much creepier you can get once you've gone there.' She rubbed her eyes. 'Sexual harassment's a crime you know? You've almost got the whole set now, you're just missing outrage of modesty and rape.'

'And who's gonna report me? In case you forgot, you're just as much of a criminal as I am.'

'Yeah, but I'm beautiful. A beautiful girl can charm her way out of anything.'

'Even handcuffs?'

'Especially handcuffs. Or you know, IN to handcuffs if you're in to that sort of play, in which case I like those purple frilly ones with the soft wrapping. With a short chain; I hate the long ones, they rattle too much.'

'Reminds me of that time you let our target put you in a leather corset and cuff you to the bed, then go down on you.'

'So that I could snap his neck with my knees and leave the guards none the wiser, I remember. That was not pleasant though; his handcuffs were so rough and uncute.'

'And you dropped the key under the bed.'

'Don't remind me. I nearly pulled my arm out trying to get a good enough angle to slip my foot under there to reach it. My wrists still ache just thinking about it.'

'Too bad you couldn't pick it. He was using one of those police ones, right?'

'Yeah. Either way it was funny to put him under the blanket, then walk out like I was basking in the afterglow. The guards' faces were priceless. There was this one really young one, like eighteen or something, who just turned beet red when I walked out of there with my dress back open. He even offered to zip it up for me and asked if my wrists were okay. I told him to broach to his boss to use the padded ones next time, and he practically died from over-exposure.'

'Well then, if the opportunity ever arises, I'll be sure to use one of those single pin handcuffs, the kind you can pick with a paper clip.'

'Wonder if the blondie's into that? I think she'll be a riot in the sack, considering how rough and tough she tries to be outside it.' She spread her hands in an "I don't know" gesture as Jaye raised an eyebrow at her. 'Hey, I'm not judging, just putting it out there. Lots of tough girls kinda like being bottoms, plus the whole handcuffs thing…it's kinda hot.' She picked at her nails. 'Maybe try to broach it to her carefully, like when she's in a really good mood. Take her out to dinner, buy her new shoes, put some booze in her, maybe watch a mushy romantic movie. On second thought, a kung fu one, I think she'll like that. Just don't go too hardcore though; collars aren't exactly a turn on.'

'Right. I'll keep that in mind.' Jaye rolled his eyes at the girl, his face turning serious. 'Are you really doing okay? I don't want to assume anything, but I don't want to act like everything's okay when it's not.'

Indigo sighed, rubbing a hand into her face.

'Jaye, we talked about this.' She groaned, reaching over to the side table to grab a bottle of water. The blanket fell away from her chest for a moment, and he averted his eyes from her exposed cleavage. She unscrewed the cap, emptying the bottle into her mouth and chucking it over her shoulder and into the bin. Jaye gave her a celebratory clap, and she curtsied to him. 'Just let me be. The more you try and be considerate the worse it gets, so stop trying you dense, socially inept moron.'

'Right, right. Forget I said anything.' Jaye let himself fall back across the bed, realizing that if he lay down, he'd probably fall back asleep, and instead busied himself with his scroll. Kamina finally came out of the bathroom, his ears immaculately groomed, and they gave him an approving thumbs up. Wiggling his ears in reverence, he watched as Jaye and Indigo began the rock-paper-scissors; Jaye having been denied his glorious single combat once more.

After promptly losing another five games in a row, Jaye rolled himself up with his bedsheets, officially becoming assassin sushi, and Indigo pranced her way into the bathroom. Jaye spat a muffled curse through his bedsheet sushi roll, and Kamina made it a point to use the newly created assassin sushi as a lounging spot. Jaye, already miffed from his lack of glorious single combat first thing in the morning, simply gave up and left him to it.

* * *

Mire

* * *

The three teammates stepped off the ship with loud groans, mainly from the two boys. Indigo, none the worse for wear, simply gave the two odd looks and insisted that they should go on another cruise together sometime. The boys promptly told her to piss off and drown in a lake.

Behind them, the two hooded figures disembarked as well, glancing about nervously under their hoods as if trying to track down the three. The three teammates felt the two figures gazes settle on them, feeling the relief wash over the two seemingly siblings as they caught sight of their targets once more. Jaye watched them out of the corner of his eye; no matter how he looked at it, they were simply too much of amateurs to be working for any organization, and they hardly knew how to tail a group without getting caught. Shrugging, he gestured down the street out of the docks, and the three set off into the city, making a beeline for the nearest Faction branch.

'So, what are we going to do first?' Kamina piped up, his ears flickering in the salty sea breeze as he listened out for the footsteps of the two twins behind them. 'Head for one of the names Ray gave us? Or do you want to find lodging first?'

'Let's get some information first.' Indigo said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. 'We need to know who's after us in this town, and if the Faction situation has changed in the months since the Fall Of Beacon. If it has, we might have made a big mistake coming here.'

'Agreed.' Jaye said, squinting at the list. 'Getting our names registered anywhere here could be a potential death flare. Besides, finding out who those two are takes priority. No sign of the Faction on our tail for now, so those two are our biggest threat.'

Kamina's ears twitched, and he glanced behind him to raise an eyebrow at the pair of twins hiding behind a tree a little way back from them. The girl's tail was poking out from behind the trunk, and the boy had managed to fall flat on his face in the process of changing cover. He desperately scrambled for the nearest rock and dived behind it, kicking up a pile of dust and severely upsetting the gravel in his wake. Kamina raised his eyebrow even further, and Jaye prodded him.

'Your eyebrow can't go past the limits of your face you know.' He reminded, and Kamina shook his head, turning back to face the road ahead.

'Doesn't mean I can't try.' He said, ears twitching once more as the girl managed to trip over the exact same spot as well, and let his ears fall back against his skull in defeat. Jaye slapped a hand into his face, groaning audibly.

'Oh yeah, they're definitely a threat.' He glanced back at the girl, who had just scrambled to her feet and kicked up even more dust as she dived behind the same large rock. The two peered over the edge of the obstacle; the girl's ears, now free from her hood, peering up very visibly past the edge. 'Absolutely a threat. How could we possibly think otherwise?'

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, been kinda busy. That was a lie I've been caught up gaming. I know I know, I'm the worst. Then again, I only have like 68 followers so HAHA YOU CAN'T PRESSURE ME.

This is the reason why I never make any promises like "I'll post chapters every week" it'll never happen I'm too irresponsible. Too many times I get back home and go like "OVERWATCH" and then suddenly I don't write for a whole week. Then I just go like "whoops. I guess one more game couldn't hurt.' Next thing I know it's the next month already. I also told myself that when I was watching anime at 1130 at night, and go like "one more episode" and then guess what it's 0630 and I have to book in to camp. I need help.


	46. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

* * *

'Somehow I feel like we're being watched. Do you feel like we're being watched?' Jaye said, prodding Kamina, who shook his head with an incredulous look plastered across his face.

'Of course not Jaye, who on earth would be watching us?' He said, drumming his nails against the floor as he listened out for movement from the table behind them. 'I mean, it's not like we have two stalkers that followed us across a bloody ocean to worry about. It must be your imagination.'

Indigo rolled her eyes into the back of her head.

'It was funny the first few times, not the last twenty-seven.' She said, crossing her arms. 'Now can we please get back to the topic at hand?'

The three were currently checked into a run-down inn, somewhere far less conspicuous and less likely to be found in. Kamina tried to reason that the run-down places would be where The Faction was likely to check, but Jaye shot him down based on expenses and the fact that he knew that all the furry bastard wanted was a quality bed and food. Seated in the dining hall, their two pursuers, still wrapped in their hardly conspicuous cloaks, were seated at a table just behind the three. They had recognized the two very clearly, electing instead to move to a table slightly further down and almost cringing at their pursuers' very obvious observation.

'We should start looking into a few of the contacts that Ray gave us.' Jaye said, rapping his knuckles loudly on the table and earning him a few disgruntled stares from the other members of the inn. 'We'll take this as a temporary base of operations and stay here a few days to get some information before we head on to Mistral.'

'We should probably head to Haven directly after this.' Kamina said. 'We've lost quite a bit of time making sure we haven't been followed by anyone significant; I'm pretty sure little Red and her gang of happy friends are there by now. We don't want to lose any more time if The Faction decides to hit Haven next.'

'Another thing we want to look into.' Indigo cut in. 'We need to find out who Damian is working for. Jaye, you mentioned a name. Salem.'

The three glanced across each other as the name was presented to the table. Back during the Fall Of Beacon, Damian had mentioned someone named Salem, and from the way he'd worded his sentence she sounded like his employer. They had no idea who this person was, but they were fairly certain that whoever she was, she was bad news. It wasn't just anybody who could hire Damian, and for this someone to be participating in the Vale takedown meant she probably had a grudge against the kingdom. It was highly likely that she would be present in the scenario of a Haven attack, and that meant Damian would be too. That meant she was probably one of the biggest crime bosses in the Kingdoms, and one of the most well-guarded, since none of them had ever heard of her.

'I doubt she's a small-time runner.' Kamina said, crossing his arms and stretching his neck as the two hooded figures behind them thanked the waitress for their order. 'She'd have to have considerable influence and power, probably money too, in order to get one of the biggest assassins in The Faction to do runs for her, even if it was to kill us. She'd have to go through one of the seats at the table to even speak to Damian, assuming she doesn't have one. And those kinds of connections are hard to come by.'

The three assassins sniggered as the waitress bent down to coddle the two, patting their heads through their hoods and Jaye almost couldn't contain his laughter as the girl's tail wagged very obviously under her cloak as the waitress continued to pat her. Finally leaving, the two hardly conspicuously glanced around, as if trying to disguise the fact that they were checking whether or not the three had heard or noticed them.

'Most people wouldn't even dare to try for a hit on Jaye.' Indigo said, swirling a glass. 'I think at this point people know better than to think that he's one you can mess with using any old assassin. Meaning if she really wanted to get rid of him, she'd at least have to be in the upper five. Otherwise, there's no way she'd be able to get ahold of an assassin that even had a remote chance of killing him, let alone getting Damian.'

'And if they were coming for all three of us, most likely even a highly trained team put together would be impossible.' Jaye said, crossing his arms. 'Meaning she's probably got intel that we three are together, and they're probably biding their time until they can find a team good enough to get rid of all three of us at once. Otherwise, their chances are less than slim, they're downright zero.'

'So if she's actually trying to take us out, perhaps she was using Damian as a scout? Or maybe she saw an opportunity where Jaye was alone and decided to try and monopolize on it.' Kamina said. 'That might mean we're not even dealing with someone powerful here, we might be talking about her having the ear of the Faction consulate.'

'At this point, we can't rule out anything.' Indigo sighed, making a gesture for the check. 'Let's deal with mister and miss stalker first, before we get ourselves into any more trouble than we could already be in.'

* * *

The rest of the day ironically went without a hitch. The three managed to meet a few contacts, get a few pieces of choice information that unfortunately left their wallets feeling considerably lighter than when they first came in, and even had some time to take in the sights of Mire. Which was a surprisingly beautiful place and was incongruous with its name. Jaye leant against a nearby tree.

'Okay, they're totally lost.' Jaye said, peering over a nearby bench at the two cloaked figures that were currently milling about the town square, clearly searching for something. That something being the three assassins that had ditched them to stop them getting in the way of their deals.

'Well, either way they have the room just a few doors down from us back at the inn.' Indigo rolled her eyes. 'All our stuff's there too. You'd think they'd just double back where they lost us and start searching from there, or they'd just go back to the room and wait for us to return.'

'And yet they aren't.' Kamina sighed, cleaning off his claw blades with a cloth. 'They're amateurs beyond amateurs; I don't think we have to be worried about them.'

'I'm more worried that they'll get caught. They're just kids.' Indigo said, leaning against the railing and staring at the two siblings. One of them was pointing down a nervy alleyway, while the other was gesturing towards the centre of the square. Both of them were wrong; the three had gone up the back path to the north and were now squatting on a hill overlooking the square. 'If they're after us they're making it obvious, and that means that any other assassins in this town are most definitely gonna take them out first before they come for their prey; namely us.'

'But the problem is; we'd survive. They won't.' Jaye said, rubbing his face with his hands. 'Why on earth am I still babysitting children when I'm halfway across the world.'

'Guess this means we're gonna be looking out for them huh?' Kamina said, crossing his arms and smirking at the boy. 'Look like super babysitter Jaye and his gang of merry friends are back at it again with a new episode full of whacky hijinks and quirky sidekicks that will tickle your taste buds. Stay tuned for more, we have six more seasons planned!'

'I will actually stab you.'

* * *

Back In Their Room

* * *

'So what we've essentially learned from what we've found out is that we actually knew nothing.' Indigo said, leaning back in her chair and dropping her scroll to the tabletop. 'It looks like Ray was right; The Faction has almost no presence here, which is a good thing, but I think we're in over our heads a little here.'

'Salem isn't just someone who has the ear of the consul.' Kamina said, pressing his forehead to the cool windowpane, watching the rain beat down on the pavement outside. 'She isn't even related to The Faction. They're not even working with her; they're working FOR her.'

'Then that leaves us with an even bigger question.' Jaye grimaced, staring at his two companions. 'Who the hell is she?'

'At this point, I'm wondering WHAT the hell is she.' Indigo crossed her legs, tilting her head to the side in contemplation. 'To be holding the entirety of The Faction in the palm of her hand… that's massive. I thought we might be able to find allies within the different branches, but this is an entirely new ball game we're playing. Can we even stay hidden at this rate?'

'I doubt it.' Jaye shook his head. 'The Faction have eyes and ears everywhere; but if she's powerful enough to have them dancing to her tune then I highly doubt they're her only form of intelligence.'

'Then what should we do now?' Indigo said. 'Suddenly meeting up with little red and her gang of merry friends seems like a horrendously bad idea. We'd just be bringing hell down on them; assuming they're not already targets themselves.'

'Then all the more reason why we should stick together.' Kamina cut in, pushing himself off the windowsill. 'They're probably one of the few allies we have left in this world, and we're in no shape to be looking for the others. Best to stick to what we know for now and try and pick up more support along the way. And if they're a target too, then leaving them alone might just be spelling their doom anyway.'

'You've got me there.' Jaye said, dropping across his bed. 'If we're gonna go down, we might as well go down together. All for one and one for all I guess.'

'Besides, I wasted resources protecting those kiddos during the Fall.' Kamina grinned. 'Be a waste to let them die now.'

The three teammates glanced across each other, affirming themselves of their path ahead. Jaye stared up at the plaster ceiling, contemplating their next move, and eventually decided that no matter what they were probably screwed in the end and decide to just wing it. Indigo got up from her chair.

'We'll move out in a few days; give any other pursuers some time to think we're still here and start searching for us in town, then we break for it.' She said, stretching and pacing towards the bathroom. 'Never fails.'

'Don't jinx it.' The two boys chorused. Jaye closed his eyes, staring into the deep blackness behind his eyelids and sighed, his thoughts drifting back to blonde hair and a brilliant smile, and wondered where she was right now. He wished her all the luck in the world, and hoped she'd be back on her feet soon. He felt the worry start to creep into his chest and rubbed at it unconsciously. He pulled his scroll out of his pocket, opening up his photo gallery and pulling up one of his favorited photos.

It was just him and Yang cuddled up together in the dorm room, wrapped in pajamas and messy hair, grinning like madmen in the morning sun. His arms were laced around the girl, lips pressed to her neck, and she grinned devilishly at the camera, one hand running through the boy's dark hair. Jaye stared at the picture for a long moment, burning it into his memory, before slipping the phone back into his pocket and rolling over on his covers.

* * *

That's the end of this chapter. I'm really sorry I'm taking so long and I'm going to make a conscious effort to make myself a schedule and stick to it to get these out on time. On another note, I apparently should have the results of that writing competition back by march, but I honestly don't think I'm going to win anything. I wonder if they'll give me critique on my work, and I really hope they do to be honest. So anyways, I won't be giving any spoilers for the next chapter, but just know we're progressing into volume 5 territory in around three or four more chapters, then I can finally up my speed because I'll have more source material to work with. Thank you all for reading this far, I'm super appreciative of it!


	47. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

* * *

'So the question is…' Kamina stared hard at item in his hands, furrowing his eyebrows in intense concentration and screwing up his lip. The other two watched him with bated breath as he continued to ponder, unmoving, and Jaye finally cleared his throat.

'Kamina, you've gotta make a choice.' He said, and the fox boy waved a hand in defiance.

'You can't rush me! It's an extremely important decision and one wrong step could cost me!'

'You're going to have to pick something eventually. Maybe you should just pick one at random.' Indigo said, and Kamina stared at her, horrified.

'How could you even suggest that?' He gasped, his eyes wide as dinner plates. 'You can't put me on the spot like that! This is a matter of life and death!'

'Dude, it's just dinner.'

The three were currently back in the inn's dining floor, and though Jaye and Indigo had already long decide what they were going to get, Mire cuisine really was delicious, Kamina was still undecided about his fate.

'Both beef and chicken look good, but so does pork. But do I feel like stew or rice, that's the question.' He pondered, poking his chin with a claw, and Jaye rolled his eyes in as wide a circle as he could manage.

'Hurry up shithead I want to eat and get my apple pie. They're going to be done in forty-five minutes, which gives me forty-five minutes to order and finish eating so I can get a fresh slice of pie.'

'You can't pressure me when I'm making important decisions! What if I screw up? Then we're all doomed!'

'…I'm calling the waiter.'

Kamina made a few sounds of protest, looking horrified as a waiter immediately noticed them for the first time and proceeded over to take their order. Jaye thanked the waiter, handing her the menus and stretching his arms out above his back. Kamina placed his sobbing face down on the table, bemoaning his inability to have both chicken and beef on the same plate and cursing the world for Mire cuisine customarily using different sauces for chicken and beef, thus preventing them from being combined into a single dish. Indigo drummed her nails into the table.

'It's been two days since we've been here.' She whispered, staring at her nails with a bored look on her face, talking out of the side of her lips. 'I think we can afford one more before we leave. Mister and Miss Stalker have made no progress, and neither have we in finding out anything more about Salem than we already know.'

'I'm surprised there's so little intel about her.' Kamina said, spinning his finger along the mouth of his water glass. 'At this point, the only people who might know anything about her is probably the people that are working directly underneath her. That means we might be looking at interrogating Damian if we get the chance.'

'We can try for the other flunkies she had with her.' Jaye interjected. 'Mercury, Emerald, Cinder, and maybe Torchwick might know a thing or two we don't. If we come across their locations, it might be prudent to pay them a visit.'

'Fair enough.' Kamina crossed his arms, smiling at the waitress as she made her way over with a few steaming bowls of soup. 'But first we've yet to deal with the two glaringly obvious problems we have in front of us.'

Despite agreeing to deal with their stalkers when they first arrived in Mire, the three had almost consistently done everything they could to do everything except deal with the two siblings. Between meeting up with contacts and scouting out potential ships that could take them to Mistral, they'd managed to fill up all their free time with other things to do that involved ditching the two for the day, then catching back up with them in the evenings. It was particularly amusing how bad they were at tailing people who didn't want to be followed, and it became clear that throwing them off their trail was going to just as easily done as said. That had led to a degree of complacency from the three, they had to admit that much at least, and they immediately took to any excuse they had not to deal with them. Chalk it up to general reluctance to confront two kids, but the three had clearly gone soft.

'Well it's not like they've come by to assassinate us in the middle of the night.' Jaye pointed out, tapping his finger on his chin and staring out the window. 'All we've had are the occasional furry ears stick up from beneath our window. And half the time they're Kamina's.'

'Hey, the window's faster depending on which side of the road you're coming in from.' He defended, leaning against said windowsill. 'But all things considered, we should at least find out what they want before we head on down to Mistral. There's still a small chance that they're working for someone, and we can't afford to lead them to little red when they could potentially have a very large target painted across their backs.'

'Alright.' Jaye dropped across his bed, undoing the laces of his boots and throwing his scroll onto the bedside table. 'If they come to kill us, we'll capture them. If not, we'll get em tomorrow.'

With their plans for the next day now settled, the three began the daily ritual of glorious single combat. Which actually meant that Jaye was once again forced into a losing match of rock-paper-scissors and had to wait an hour and a half for the other two to be done with their personal intricacies.

* * *

It was a gentle clack, only ever so slightly audible in the dead of night. It was louder than you'd expect, with the insects outside, and the noise of the breeze blowing past leaves and tall grass. The gentle click of the window lock was nearly masked by the breeze and, would easily have gone unnoticed to anyone who wasn't listening out for it. The windows slid open, nothing but a vaguely audible creak to give it away, and the telltale signs of a gentle shifting of weight brushed gently over their ears.

Amidst the rustling, the sound of cloth against skin was vaguely audible, but a trained ear could decipher the minute differences in sound. And trained ears they had; Kamina's fox ears twitched at the offending noises, making a show of rolling over in his sleep, and the rustling immediately stopped. After a few tense seconds, the rustling continued, and they were sure of it.

Someone else had entered the room.

Jaye relaxed his eyelids, allowing some light to peep through the cracks in them. His eyes adjusting to the darkness, he barely made out a humanoid shape in the corner, still and unmoving, nearly invisible if not for the moonlight streaming in through the open curtains. He had to admit; for all their failure at tailing them inconspicuously, they were nailing all the aspects of a good assassination. Their feet making no noise as they crossed the floor, the two figures paced ever so slowly around the beds, taking special care not to touch the frames, and he was impressed by the care they were taking in this assassination. Almost as if someone had trained them to do it.

And suddenly things didn't match up anymore. How could they be so bad at tailing, information gathering and various other basic aspects of being an assassin, but show clear competence in the actual assassination? Either their training was horrendously lopsided, or they had done everything prior on purpose to throw their targets off. He supposed it was likely the latter, and had they been anything other than trained assassins themselves this would have resulted in nothing but a quick silencing. He breathed slowly as a one of the two paused over him, withdrawing a blade with a gentle slide. He made sure to angle the blade out of the moonlight, shielding it with his body, and Jaye nearly smiled in appreciation. The figure threw back his hood, cat ears popping out in the moonlight, and he realized it was the girl standing over him. She gripped the blade with a shaking grip, preparing to cover his mouth with a hand.

'You know if you're going to stab me, you really should work on your speed.' Jaye said, opening his eyes. The girl practically jumped, letting out a soft "eep!", and stared back at him as if she didn't know how to react. 'The longer you spend in your targets' room, the more likely for something to go wrong or for you to get caught.'

On the other side of the room, Apollo clearly had come to his senses first and drove the blade down towards Indigo's chest. She grabbed his wrist as it descended, halting it just before the blade touched her skin, and made a face at the boy as he struggled in her grip.

'Too bad hunny-bun, not this time.' She teased, pushing him away from her bed and getting to her feet. The girl, Artemis, leapt away from the bed as Jaye got to his feet, stretching out his aching muscles.

'Well you two certainly took your time. I waited nearly three hours for you to even attempt an entry.' Jaye said, rubbing his shoulders. 'But then again, your assassination was top notch; hardly a sound, shielded your blades from the light, attention to your targets' states of sleep et cetera. You've been trained well.'

The twins glanced across each other, the uncertainty plastered across their faces, and Jaye raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

'Hey, we're all here already. Let's have a little chat shall we? For starters, you can tell me who you're working for.' He said, and the two raised their knives in response. 'No? Guess we're doing this the hard way.'

The twins charged, slashing with their knives as they did so. Jaye ducked the girl's hand, driving his shoulder into her stomach and knocking her back. She went back on the offensive, displaying an impressive feat of acrobatics as she flipped numerous times around the boy, slashing and striking with her knives and feet as she did so. Deflecting the blows with his gauntlets, Jaye interrupted her movements with a low kick, forcing her to launch high off her hands to avoid the blow, and flying straight into the spinning hook kick he threw right after. She crashed to the floor, gasping in pain, and Jaye glanced behind him to find Apollo doing no better. The boy was grimacing, breathing hard, as he continued to throw blow after blow only to be deflected each time with hardly a budge from Indigo. Her perfect vision clearly active, she twisted the blades out of his grasp, embedding them in the wall behind him, before seizing the boy in a death grip and wrapping her arms around him.

'You're so cute!' She squealed, cuddling the boy, and he turned a bright red under the moonlight as she smothered him. Jaye rolled his eyes, disarming his attacker.

'Indigo can you not? He might have hidden weapons on him.' He called, and the girl proceeded to bind his hands together behind his back with a hidden wrist lock. The boy, finally realizing what was going on, began to struggle in vain as she bound his ankles as well. Now immobilized, she continued to smother him unabashed, and Jaye slapped a hand to his face. Returning his attention to the girl currently trying to kill him, he gripped her by the wrist, blinking in surprise as she flipped out of his grasp. He seized her again, only for her to once more escape in the same manner, and he made a sound of annoyance as she now kept her distance from him. He deflected a few tentative blows, making a sound of infuriation as she once more avoided his grip. He saw her glance across the room at her brother, clearly trying to figure out a way to rescue him and escape, and Jaye prepared to launch himself at the girl.

Sneaking up from behind, Indigo pounced on the faunus, making a sound of victory as she bound the girl's wrists and ankles, then proceeded to smother her and play with her ears. The girl made sounds of protest and terror as Indigo continued to cuddle her, and Jaye had honestly forgotten how much Indigo loved kids. Ignoring the two girls, he turned his attention to the now disregarded boy attempting to wrench his way out of his bindings, pacing quietly towards him. The boy gave him a look of defiance as he approached, his lips curling up in a sneer, and Jaye squat down beside him. He stared at the boy for a moment, picking at his nails.

'So… where you from?' He asked, sitting casually down on the floor beside the boy. Apollo refused to meet his gaze, staring instead at everything else around them, his eyes going constantly back and forth between his daggers embedded in the wall. Sighing to himself, Jaye got to his feet and retrieved the daggers, spinning them in his hands as he sat back down beside the boy. Placing them just out of his reach, he turned his gaze back to the immobilized boy, and Apollo glared back with a fury.

'Look kid, I don't want to hurt you. I really don't.' He scratched his head sheepishly, not used to talking to interrogation targets in such a manner. 'But I will if I have to.'

'You can shove it for all I care.' The boy spat, attempting to kick his captor with his bound feet, and Jaye just sort of stared at him, unimpressed. 'You're not getting a thing from me.'

'Look this isn't going to end well for either of you if this keeps up. Don't forget, you messed with us first. And look where that got you.' Jaye pushed himself off the floor, grabbing Indigo by the collar and dragging her off the faunus girl who was on the verge of tears. He dragged the two twins side by side with each other, propping them up against the wall and placing their weapons well out of their reach. Indigo made a sound of protest, finally resigning to dropping across her bed, and Jaye paused for a moment as he noticed Kamina still under the covers. He heard a gentle snore come out from under there and balked as he realized the fox boy had fallen asleep in spite of the tussle that had occurred. In fact, he might not ever have been awake to begin with. He kicked the faunus out of the bed, grumbling to himself, and watched as he continued to sleep on the floor. Giving up, Jaye sat back down on his own bed, raising an eyebrow at the twins staring defiantly back at him. He noticed, for the first time, that they were staring at him, and only him, with a measure of contempt in their eyes, and he made a mental note to keep that in consideration when hearing their answers.

'Alright. You'd better start talking or–' Jaye stared, but was cut off by a snarl.

'Or what? You'll kill us?' The boy swore audibly, spitting at Jaye's feet. 'Do your worst. There's nothing you can do that you haven't already done to us.'

'Is that so?' Jaye got up slowly from his seat. Cryptic response aside, the boy's body language was not just one of defiance, but also protection. He'd placed himself slightly in front of his sister, spitting at his feet and everything to clearly draw attention to himself for the time being, most likely until they could somehow find a way to escape. Most others would get pissed off and take their anger out on the boy rather than Artemis, effectively diverting their attention to protect her or allow her to carry out an escape. But Jaye understood this tactic very well; he'd used it to get himself dragged into a one-on-one with a boss when he and Indigo had let themselves get captured for a job. Ignoring the jabs at him, he shoved the boy aside, seizing the girl by the collar and yanking her to her feet. Retrieving one of their knives from the bed stand, he dropped the girl onto his lap, staring pointedly at her brother.

'I won't hurt you. I really won't.' He said, spinning the knife casually in his hand. 'But I never promised a thing about her.'

He glanced at the boy's face; in spite of his previous defiance, his lips were trembling now, and Jaye knew he was right. He tapped the knife to the girl's chin, and Apollo nearly lurched forwards if not for the obvious threat signs Jaye was throwing up. He brought the knife slowly down to her neck, trailing the point along her skin, pressing it into the soft part of her neck where he knew the carotid artery was, but not hard enough to draw blood.

'Either you talk, or I kill her.' He said simply, holding the knife steady at her neck. 'I think we both know I won't hesitate to do it. Either way I'm getting what I want; it's only a matter of whether one of you dies or not.'

'Don't tell him anything!' Artemis choked out, but Jaye realized all at once that she was just as terrified as he thought; her knees had given out long ago, and he could feel her trembling. He had to applaud her bravado though.

'First question. Who do you work for?' He tapped the knife against her neck, but the boy kept his mouth firmly closed, staring daggers at his captors. Indigo turned away, clearly not in the mood for this. Jaye narrowed his eyes at the defiant boy.

'Second question. Why are you trying to kill us?' He slid the flat edge of the knife along her skin, and the boy's face convulsed with anger. Jaye raised a sarcastic eyebrow as he continued to play with the girl's neck.

'Third question. Who is Salem?' A look of confusion passed the boy's face for a moment, and Jaye nearly groaned out loud. No leads on Salem again, but at least they could now lay this problem to rest. He stared at the boy, but he remained tight-lipped, glaring back at him with nothing but defiance in his eyes. Even still, he could see Apollo's resolve crumbling; one final push was all that was needed. He pressed the knife into her skin, drawing just a pinprick of blood at first, then pushing it deeper still as the boy remained silent. He drew a long line of blood along her neck, finally reaching her trachea, and Apollo lurched forward.

'Okay!' He choked, falling flat on his face and trying to push himself back up with his shoulders as he desperately inched towards his sister. 'I'll talk, I'll talk!'

Jaye let the knife fall away from her throat, and Apollo heaved a sigh of relief. Indigo grabbed him by the collar, pulling him back up and against the wall, and he sagged his head in defeat.

'We're not working for anyone. We're here to kill you ourselves.' He gushed, staring up earnestly at the boy. 'We don't know who this Salem is! No one hired us! We've been following you on our own accord!'

'For what purpose? Why do you want to kill us?' Indigo asked, leaning against her bedframe, and Apollo shook his head, glaring at the raven-haired boy.

'Ask him.' He spat vehemently, and Jaye raised a confused eyebrow. Indigo met his eyes, and he shrugged.

'I have no idea who they are.' He said flatly, raising the knife to the girl's throat once more. 'You'd better start talking some sense before I really make this knife hit home.'

'No!' Apollo lurched forward again, and this time Indigo grabbed him before he hit the floor. 'I've told you everything! I'm not lying! I swear on my life, just let her go!'

'Who are you to me?' Jaye questioned, knife still pressed to the quivering girl's throat. 'What did I do to you?'

'You killed our parents!' Artemis choked out, the knife to her throat suddenly didn't matter anymore as she began to writhe against him. Jaye relinquished his grip, pulling the knife away from her throat, and she collapsed to the floor in a tangle of limbs. She pushed herself up to her knees, glaring at the assassin as he raised his eyebrow even further. He felt a prod on the arm, turning to face the fox boy who was now yawning, seemingly having woken up just for that.

'Your eyebrow can't go past the confines of your face you know.' He echoed, and Jaye rolled his eyes, turning his gaze back to the two twins squatting on the floor before him.

'Doesn't mean I can't try.'

* * *

Cliffies! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I'm a jackass I know. Yes thank you for noticing, I am in fact, a colossal douchelord. We're going to be looking back at Jaye's very first assassination in the next chapter; the deaths of Apollo and Artemis's parents. Don't worry, it's nothing super special.


	48. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

* * *

Jaye's eyebrow had reached the limits of his face, but higher he tried to push it still. Finally giving up on the feat that would have exceeded the confines of human capability, he placed his arms on the foot of the bed where he was leaning, staring quizzically at the two bound kids before them. He sighed cryptically.

'I've killed a lot of parents honey, you're going to have to be a bit more specific.' He said, staring pointedly at the faunus girl as she continued to glare at him. 'And don't bother trying to undo those ties behind your backs; they're not coming off unless they're cut.'

'Can I borrow some scissors?' Artemis asked, and Kamina sniggered. Jaye flashed a look of annoyance at the fox boy, scowling at the sassy girl.

'Nice try smartass. Now answer the question.' He crossed his arms again, tapping his fingers on his bicep, and the girl met his glare.

'You really don't remember, do you?' Apollo mumbled, glaring at Jaye through his bangs. 'That's how little it meant to you, isn't it? That's all we were to you; just a means to an end.' His face contorted in anger and contempt. 'You really are a monster.'

'Yes yes, I'm a monster, we've established that.' Jaye rolled his eyes once more. 'Spare me the cliched lines and answer the damned question.'

'Three years ago, on a winter's night, we found a boy lying on our doorstep.' Artemis said, her voice barely a whisper, and the room fell silent as she spoke. 'He was dressed in nothing but rags with bare feet, not a Lien to his name. Nor did he have one; he had no memories of who he was. All he remembered was wandering the streets for a long time, far longer than any child should have had to.'

'That sounds oddly familiar.' Indigo pondered, tapping her finger on her chin, and Kamina's ears twitched in realization.

'Dude.' He breathed, grabbing Jaye by the shoulders and whirling him towards his face. Jaye raised his eyebrow again at the fox boy who was currently staring him down with a bloody passion.

'What? Did you remember something?' He asked, eyebrow still raised, and Kamina shook his head.

'Nope, doesn't ring a single bell.' He said, face dead serious as he continued to stare into Jaye's soul. Jaye swatted at the fox boy's ears, cussing out the faunus bastard as he returned his attention to the two captives.

'Well get on with it. That sounds like half a dozen of my heists.' Jaye said, crossing his arms once more and punching the now laughing faunus boy in the gut. 'You're going to have to give more details. Like, you know, the targets for example?'

'Like I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted.' Artemis picked up again, Jaye raising an eyebrow at the sassy girl as she shifted herself into a more comfortable position. 'Apollo and I found him outside our door in the dead of winter, frozen and suffering, and our parents took him in without a second thought. We fed him, bathed him, gave him all the things he never had. Including a name; Matthias, which means blessing.' She raised her eyes to the boy, glaring at him with undisguised fury. 'We wondered if he would be the new addition to our family. We loved him.'

'He stayed with us for a week before it happened. He was older than us, around his teens, and we looked up to him as an older brother.' Apollo whispered, eyes glued to the floor. 'We didn't realize at the time that he was searching for something; something our parents' had that he needed. I guess he found it.'

'One night, a winter storm hit. The temperature dropped to freezing levels, and we woke in the middle of the night.' Artemis breathed, her eyes burning a hole into Jaye's. 'When we woke, Matthias was gone. In a panic, afraid he had slipped outside, we ran to our parents' room to wake them. When we reached the door, we realized it was ajar. We peeked through the gap, and what we saw has been burned into my memories since.'

'Matthias stood over them, holding a knife streaked with fresh blood, and our parents were dead on the floor. In his hand was a pouch, not one that I recognized, and he opened the window and jumped right out into the middle of the storm. He never even noticed we were there.' Apollo struggled to his feet, finally managing to drag himself onto his bound knees. 'Inside the room was a safe, one that we'd always been told not to touch. When we finally calmed down enough to notice, we realized that it had been cracked open, the lock frozen off, and whatever was inside was gone now.'

'Our parents weren't perfect. No one was. But they didn't deserve to die like that.' Artemis dragged herself to her knees, shoulder to shoulder with her brother. 'We swore on that day that we'd find you and kill you. We swore we'd avenge them.'

'After that day we were given to our relatives. After what had happened to us, our uncle and aunt wanted us to have nothing to do with the violence in the world, but we enrolled to a combat school immediately. After some years of training, they tried to pull us out, and we realized that it wasn't going to work.' The twins sat back down on their heels, and Jaye narrowed his eyes at them as they huddled together. 'We ran away from their home, living out on the streets for a while until someone picked us up, taught us how to be assassins, and accepted out desire for revenge. He was our master, and he gave us the power to fight for ourselves.'

'And we finally found you at the port going out of Patch. Like God had given us a chance to make things right. We'd trained entirely for this moment, and it was a heaven-sent gift. It was a blessing.' Artemis glared at the boy, and the three teammates glanced across each other at this revelation. 'Our master told us we'd probably find you there, and he was right.'

The three teammates glanced across each other once more, the worry evident in the air between them. Jaye turned his attention back to the twins as they continued to worm about in discomfort on the floor.

'Alright then, who's your master? Don't make me have to hurt you for that one.' He threatened, pulling a knife out of his jacket. 'You're only going to make things harder for yourself if you resist.'

'He never gave us his name.' Artemis spat, inching away from the raven-haired boy. 'We never needed him to. He would always contact us; and he trained us in a different place every time. It was strange, not to mention a little shady, but we needed what he had to offer.'

'Sounds like a standard Faction runner tactic.' Indigo crossed her arms. 'Train a few little ones out on the streets to be runners or information gatherers with no strings attached, to be disposed of whenever needed.'

It was a widely used, and very effective strategy. Regardless of the city, there were always kids living in the alleys and gutters. With poverty on the rise, there was no shortage of fresh meat to be trained as disposable runners. Trained away from any Faction facilities using money as an incentive, these kids with no families or ties to anyone were the perfect candidates to disappear at a moment's notice. Completely expendable, with low training costs, they were the perfect resource. And since they had no idea what their trainers' names were, let alone where the Faction quarters were, there were no loose ends to be had.

'Then again, it's nearly unheard of to train them to do assassinations. Typically, you're only given that kind of training once you prove that you're not expendable, like we did.' Jaye pointed out, crossing his arms. 'It doesn't add up; who would give them training like that out of the blue?'

'Guess that's something we're going to have to look into.' Kamina twitched his ears. 'What're we going to do with them in the meantime? We can hardly leave them here, and I'm getting sleepy.'

'I don't know.' Jaye sighed, scratching his head and glancing at the twins as they shifted on the floor. 'They're a risk if we just go to sleep, and they could prove to be a problem later on once we get to Haven. We can't afford to have them on our backs all day long.'

'We're right here you know.'

'Shut up, no one's talking to you.'

'You are now.'

'You're making me really want to kill you.'

'Go ahead. Wouldn't be your first.'

'Don't tempt me girlie.' Jaye glanced at the window, quietly pondering his options. 'Alright, let's chuck them in an alley tomorrow before we get on the ship.'

'Why don't you just kill us and be done with it? Two more lives would hardly make a difference on your conscience.' Artemis hissed at the boy, glaring daggers into his chest. 'It'll be a breeze. Just come on over here and do it.'

Jaye watched the two siblings with a blank look. Ignoring the fact that she was using a pretty standard interrogation tactic; goading your captor to come and try to kill you so you can get them within arm's reach, the more he looked at them the less he could bring himself to even consider killing them. When it came to Damian, or Torchwick, or any of the White Fang or Faction members, it had hardly mattered to him in the slightest what killing them would mean. In fact, he'd never really thought about what it meant to kill them until now. It was always just a factual thing to him; kill them and they won't come back to haunt you in the future. Tie up the loose ends and you won't get any snags. Just kill. Nothing more.

It made complete sense, never more so in this case. Kill the two kids with zero connections and remove them from the equation; nothing could make more sense in this situation. They'd never get caught, and by the time anyone discovered the bodies they'd be long gone, and they could never be traced back to three ghosts who didn't exist to anybody but themselves.

But even as he thought about killing them, about taking his blades and sliding them cleanly across their throats like he'd been taught, like he'd done hundreds of times before without a second thought, he was hit with an overwhelming feeling that what he was doing was wrong.

'No. I won't kill you.' He finally said, breathing a deep sigh out of his lungs and turning his eyes up to the ceiling. 'I won't kill.'

'What's that supposed to be, remorse?' The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes at the assassin. 'You've got so much blood on your hands, and you think you can wash it away?'

She had a point. With that much blood on him, it hardly mattered if a little more was spilled. But he was burning, burning hard where the eye could not see, and he could do little to put it out. But he could stop himself from burning anyone else around him. Blonde hair and a bombshell smile appeared once more before his eyes and steeled his resolve with a fiery touch. He couldn't kill them, he wouldn't, or he'd never be able to face the girl he saw when he closed his eyes.

He doubted he could kill anyone ever again.

'No. No I don't.' he finally said, sighing deeply and placing a hand on the girl's head. She threw it off with a snarl, and he gave her a long, quiet look. She balked a little as she met his gaze, staring incredulously at what was a nothing but a mask of pain and grief, and he let his hand fall to his side. 'Nothing I can do will make me clean. Sins can never be forgiven. But we're going to try.' He ran a hand across his face, turning back to his bed and throwing the twins a pair of pillows. 'Get some sleep, we'll let you go in the morning.'

He clambered into the bed, and Kamina volunteered to take watch. There were hardly a few more hours to sunrise, so the boy simply sat down next to the twins and ruffled the girl's ears. She snarled at him, and he laughed gently at her, placing his hand on the floor instead. He peered curiously at the girl, and she inched away from him quietly.

'You know, it's just the circumstances that we've been thrown in that made us as we are.' Kamina said, his voice barely a whisper. 'In another life, we could have been good friends.'

'I doubt it. You're annoying.'

'Everyone says that at first, but they all come around eventually.'

'Well it's not happening now.'

'Not yet.'

'Not ever.'

'I take that as a challenge.' Kamina declared, gesturing quietly at the boy now rolled up in his sheets. 'But I think you two would get along splendidly if not for everything that's happened to him.'

'He's killed countless people. He's rotten to the core.' She spat. 'His heart is darker than black.'

'No.' The fox boy shook his head, staring pointedly at the twins. 'No, he isn't. Not in the slightest. He always sealed himself off from it, pretending he's never been hurt by the things he's done. He should never have had to do the things he's done to survive. We should never have had to do these things. No one should have to. But someone must.' He turned his gaze back to the ceiling, a wistful smile on his face. 'But someone must. And it just so happened that those someone-s were us.'

'Of course you'd think so. Pretending your actions are justified by your circumstance. How many people have you killed? Just as many as him I'll bet.' The faunus girl scoffed, turning back to her brother and ignoring the fox boy. 'Those with hearts of darkness could never understand what it means to be hurt.'

'I wish I didn't. Then maybe I'd be able to live with myself a little better.' Kamina replied, giving the twins a slightly strained smile, and the girl raised a sarcastic eyebrow. Retrieving the pillows the boy had thrown to them, she huddled into the corner with Apollo, glaring fiercely at the fox boy who remained seated against the wall. Kamina shook his head, sighing deeply to himself, and watched the twins whose lives they'd turned upside down. Snuffing the guilt down into his stomach, he pressed his head to the wall, curling up against the it without a sound, watching the twins cradle each other to sleep, terrified of the world around them and the people in the room. All alone.

Jaye peered through his eyelids at the two in the corner, trying to push them out of his mind and his heart. But no matter what, he couldn't erase the fact that it was entirely his fault. That he had taken all they had and left them alone. Regardless of the past, he had decided to move forward, and that was what he was going to do. If that meant trying to forget the things he'd done and starting anew, then so be it.

Once more, his eyes drifted to the twins huddled in the corner, clearly terrified out of their minds, with no one else to depend on but each other. He told himself to forget them, throw them in the alley and move on with is life. But even still, he felt his eyes drawn to them once again, and a stab ran through his chest. He rolled over, fixing his eyes on the window in a vain attempt to distract himself, as every sound they made reminded him of his inescapable past lurking over his shoulder as he drifted off to sleep. Always there. Haunting.

* * *

There we go, that's the end of this chapter. I'm building up to something big later on before we move into volumes 5 and 6, so if it's been a little uneventful that's because this is the calm before the storm. Don't worry, we're finishing this arc soon, and we'll be back on the main storyline before you know it. It's hard to come up with original content, so I hope I've been doing fine so far. Thanks for the support guys, it means a lot to me. Especially with a lot of haters out there, but for those of you that are still here waiting patiently for my updates I really appreciate you guys haha.

Thanks.


	49. Chapter 48

Okay first of all, I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long. It's been a rough month and a bunch of really dumb things happened that have caused me way more trouble than they should have. One of my friends from army collapsed and we had to rush him to a hospital, for now he seems to be okay but that could have ended badly for various reasons. It's one thing to tend to an emergency patient that came in, but it's another thing to IV your friend. My hands were literally shaking, and I can't believe I managed to keep as calm as I did when tending to him. That's just one thing that happened, but it's the biggest one I guess.

There were some good things that happened. I got Final Fantasy XIV for real cheap and I have to say it's a game that I absolutely love and I wish I'd bought it earlier. now i'm waiting for Shadowbringers in July so that I can get Heavensward and Stormblood for free along with it. Anyone who plays is welcome to play with me too, I think you can guess what my character name is haha. I'm in Kujata in the Elemental Data Centre.

I also sent in a short story to the biggest international writing competition, and although I didn't win I got an honorable mention for my work. That was a massive ego booster for me, because we do see a lot of haters up here on Fanfiction and I was worried that I wasn't living up to what I wanted to be. I've submitted entries for the next quarter already, and I'm writing a new one for the June quarter. So that's one of the reasons why this chapter has been a little slow.

Now that that's all out of the way, here's an extra long chapter for you all as my apology for making you guys wait nearly a month.

Chapter 48

* * *

'Are you okay?' The soft voice crept into his ears and soothed him like a wash of warm air. 'Can you stand?'

He felt a pair of hands underneath him, strong hands, that lifted him off the cold, wet ground and through a door he made out through his eyelids. He felt the warmth of the house pour into his shivering body, and he let out a quivering sigh. He felt his back touch something soft, a sofa maybe, and a large hand rested itself on his forehead.

'He's so terribly cold.' A woman's voice gushed worriedly, and he felt her hands on his arm. 'He could have died out there!'

'It makes me sick to think that there are kids out there suffering like him.' The soft voice spoke again. 'This is exactly what I've been fighting against.'

'Mommy, daddy? Is he gonna be okay?' A pair of nearly identical voices rang out, and the teen peered through his eyelids at the twins that had appeared in front of him.

'Sweethearts go back upstairs. Go to bed, alright? He's going to be fine.' The soft voice said, getting to his feet, and the boy realized that it belonged to the father. He studied the man out of the corner of his eye, taking in his sharp features and slightly greying hair. He seemed every bit what a "father" should look like, and he spotted his wife just a little behind him. Her eyes were fixed on the boy on the couch, watching him with a mixture of trepidation and worry plastered across her face, and the boy's heart ached a little at the motherly sight. He sealed the gap in his eyelids, electing not to look anymore at the happy family before him, knowing what was coming next.

* * *

The Next Morning

* * *

'Do you remember your name? How old are you?' The man asked, and the boy shook his head. He sat quietly, seemingly terrified, hands glued to his knees on the couch. A little way away, hiding behind the legs of their mother, the twins stared at him as he continued to stare at the floor. He met their gazes by accident, and they immediately ducked behind their mother once more. The boy returned his gaze to the floor.

'I don't have one.' He mumbled, and the man's face immediately melted into a face of pity.

'Well that means we'll just have to give you one.' He said, placing his hand on the boy's head. 'Well, Christmas is coming soon, so how does Matthias sound? It means gift.'

The boy's face lit up brighter than the fireplace, and the man chuckled, ruffling his dark hair. He gestured at the twins still hiding behind their mother.

'Artemis! Apollo! Come over here and say hi to Matthias.' He grinned. 'I guess for now, he's going to be your new brother.'

* * *

'What do you want to play?' Artemis gushed. She was the first to warm up to him, and the few years difference between them hardly mattered to the ecstatic girl. She thrust a stuffed rabbit into the boy's arms, and he hugged it quietly. 'I know, let's play cops and robbers!' She raised a teddy bear in her hands. 'The is Ted the beat cop. He's super good at his job, and one day he gets a call from a terrified stranger.' Apollo raised a small stuffed penguin in his hands. 'Help! My house is being robbed by a rabbit!'

Matthias raised the rabbit in his hands, smiling at the twins.

'Mwa-ha-ha-ha! I'm here to steal all the things!' He growled, and the twins erupted with laughter. The three of them tumbled around the play-room, laughing their heads off, and Artemis hugged Matthias tight. She grinned up at the boy, and he hugged her back gently.

* * *

'I suppose I should have realized it sooner huh?' The father said, placing a protective hand across his wife. He glared down at Matthias who was currently standing in their study room, knife in hand, and a leather pouch clutched in the other. In the corner, a massive safe had been cracked open, its lock frozen off, and the man narrowed his eyes at the boy.

'Thomas Milton Blackwood, and his wife Anna Fay. The figureheads of the anti-poverty act. What you're doing is going to bring a lot of good into the world.' Matthias sighed, slinging the pouch over his shoulder. 'It's a damned shame that it won't come to pass. If it did, then people like me would almost cease to exist. There would be far less kids out there scrounging in trash cans for something to eat.'

'I save your life, and this is how you repay me?' Thomas spat at the teenager. 'My children love you, and you're going to do this to them?'

'It's my job. You were meant to find me on that night, frozen on your door. It was a ploy to play on your bleeding heart, and everything went exactly according to plan. Although, I'd intended for it only to take one night, but you really put a lot of work into hiding this thing.' Matthias shrugged, patting the pouch now slung against his side. 'And it's really your fault that this is happening you know. We wouldn't have touched you before, we had no reason to care about your anti-poverty movement. We'd still have no shortage of manpower regardless if your movement actually bore fruit or not.'

'But that pouch changes things, doesn't it?' The man swore, making a somewhat defeated gesture at the leather object. 'Can't you just take it and leave?'

'Afraid not. Just think of it as bad luck that the evidence you dug up leads back to us, but the fact that you know we exist now makes you a potential threat. And threats must be eliminated.' Matthias scratched his head, waving the knife at the couple. 'For the Faction, I'm going to need you to die.'

'You can try.' The man raised his fists, beckoning on the teen, and Matthias shook his head.

'I won't have to. As a favor to a man whose life is about to end, let me tell you my name.' Matthias spun the knife in his hand, lowering himself into a crouch. 'The name's Jaye, but I'm more widely known as Niflheim. My friends call me Nif.'

'Nice to meet you Nif.'

'Likewise.'

'I know that name.'

'Yes, you do.'

'I thought you'd be taller.'

'Most people do.'

'So, this is what you look like huh? The entire time you were here the possibility of you being an assassin never even crossed my mind. I suppose you really are the best at what you do.'

'I've been told. It's a rather endearing trait of mine.'

'Isn't it a little annoying, to be the most feared assassin in all the kingdoms and yet no one has any idea what you look like?'

'It's more of an ego booster really. Not many have seen my face and lived to tell the tale. Plus, all the wanted posters are just huge blank portraits, which is hilarious to say the least.'

'Well then, I guess were dead then. At least spare my children.' The man said, fists still raised. 'Or don't. Either way we're not going down without a fight.'

'Honestly I wish it didn't have to be this way, but a job's a job.' Niflheim said, readying himself. 'If it's any consolation, I don't want to have to do this. And you have my word the children will be spared, they're of no threat nor consequence to the Faction.'

'I'm not going to thank you.'

'No, you shouldn't. And I'm sorry.'

He darted towards the man, and his wife let out a bloodcurdling scream. His knife flashed, and red painted the room. The scream was cut off with a gurgle, followed by two meaty thumps, and the room was silent once more. Niflheim tossed the knife into the corner, rubbing his gloved hands on his pants and opening the window. He leapt out into the storm, not the least bit bothered by the biting cold, and vanished into the inky whiteness.

Little did he know, in the crack of the door, two identical eyes were plastered to the gap, frozen, staring at the remains of their parents lying unmoving on the ground. Too terrified to speak, too frightened to move, staring at the window where the boy had vanished, taking their entire lives with him as he went.

* * *

Jaye woke with a start, pushing his head off his pillow with a groan. He blinked blearily at the wall, feeling exhausted, and wondered why on earth he had to remember that of all things. He heard a noise from behind him and remembered why. Still huddled into the corner, the twins were snoozing quietly against the pillow he'd thrown to them, and Kamina had fallen asleep against the wall. He swore coarsely at the furry bastard who'd promised to watch them, and the fox boy responded by rolling over. Jaye darted into the bathroom first, celebrating his victory at the two still-sleeping teammates, to which they responded with tired and completely uncaring moans. The twins had woken up at this point and were glaring at the three with nearly impossible levels of contempt but were met with nothing but gentle snores and the sound of running water. Jaye heard them shift around outside the bathroom, figuring that they were still trying to plan a way to escape and stuck his head out of the bathroom as a warning. The twins stifled a laugh at his messy bedhead, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, as he made an "I'm watching you gesture" at them. The girl tried to flip him off before remembering that her hands were bound behind her back and settled for swearing at him instead. The boy narrowed his eyes at her, retracting his head slowly back into the bathroom. They watched him go with raised eyebrows, and rolled their eyes as the sound of running water started up again.

* * *

In A Random Alley Far From The Port

* * *

'Ow!' Artemis swore as her butt hit the floor. She struggled to her feet, glaring down the boy who had just tossed her, and yelped as her brother was promptly thrown onto her as well. Jaye dusted his hands off with a flourish, grinning at the two in the moonlight.

'Well now, you lot just sit there quiet-like until we get on that boat. Here's to hoping we never see each other again.' He said, waving at the still-bound twins as the three made their way out of the alleyway. Artemis grimaced in humiliation.

'You son of a bitch!' She screamed. 'I'll kill you! I swear, I'll find you and kill you! You haven't seen the last of us!'

'Lalala, I can't hear you!' Jaye sang, covering his ears with his hands and skipping away from the alley. Kamina and Indigo exchanged skeptical glances as the boy pranced away from the pair, raising their eyebrows at the weirdo as they made their way down the street. Kamina cleared his throat loudly.

'Hey, do you think it's a good idea to leave them like that?' The fox boy scratched his ears. 'They might wind up coming back to haunt us, and I hate to say it but if we didn't know they were coming to assassinate us, we might not have actually caught them. We can't afford to be looking over our shoulders all day just because we didn't want to deal with them when we could.'

'You're right.' Jaye said, running his hands through his hair and heaving a deep sigh. 'You're right and we all know it. Nothing would have made more sense in that situation. Killing them was the obvious and most practical choice, but for some reason I just can't do it.' He locked eyes with the fox boy, and Kamina raised an eyebrow at him. 'I don't think I can kill them and not regret it for the rest of my life.'

* * *

In A Random Restaurant

* * *

'I don't think I can NOT kill them and not regret it for the rest of my life.' Indigo said, leaning back in her chair. 'I have no idea what's going on with you, Jaye, but I get the feeling that this is going to come back to haunt us sooner rather than later.'

'Can we please drop this subject already? What's done is done. I mean, what do you want me to do? Go right back to that alleyway and kill them? If they're still there after all this time, then there's no way in hell they're going to be a threat.'

'And yet they nearly pulled off a high-level assassination against us, that I doubt we would have survived if we weren't looking for them.' Kamina pointed out. 'Runners trained to pull off a perfect assassination that have no other skills other than that. How is that even possible, and who the hell had the free time to train them?' He crossed his arms with a skeptical look on his face. 'I don't think letting them go free was the best idea, and I stand by that one.'

'Seriously guys? Before this, we all silently, mutually agreed that we weren't going to deal with them unless it was absolutely necessary. I don't see how killing them is absolutely necessary.' Jaye said, glaring at his teammates across the table. 'Why the sudden change in stance?'

'Yeah we did.' Indigo said, scratching her head. 'But that was before they pulled off a high-level, near perfect assassination on us. We thought they were amateurs; last night proves otherwise.'

'What's done is done.' Jaye repeated, picking up his chopsticks with a flourish and turning his attention to the bowl of noodles sitting before him. He delved his chopsticks into the flat yellow noodles, mixing them thoroughly with the ground chili and vinegar underneath. He shoveled them into his mouth appreciatively, ignoring the annoyed stares from his teammates across the table. Giving in to the smell of their untouched food, the other two resumed their dinner, and soon the three were lost once more in appreciation for the wonderful Mirean cuisine available in the portside restaurant they were at.

Despite their absorption in their meal, the three were immediately aware of someone approaching them from behind. They eyed the pair as they approached, wrapped in familiar cloaks, and Jaye sighed as they came to a halt.

'Well I have to applaud you for finding us so quickly, but is this really necessary?' He rolled his eyes at the twins. 'It's a losing battle right now, and you've got no hope of winning.'

'But we do.' The voice that came out from under the cloak was wholly unfamiliar, and Jaye sat up a little straighter in his seat. Indigo slid her knife under her arm, concealing it, and Kamina shifted his legs out from under the table. The two figures threw their hoods back, revealing two nearly identical faces underneath, and Jaye raised an eyebrow at them. The two were clearly siblings and close in age; they didn't look more than a year or two apart. They cleared their throats and raised their hands in a gesture of surrender.

'We're not here to fight.' One of the two said, her short blonde hair curling around her face. 'We're just here to deliver a message.'

The girl removed a small envelope from her cloak, moving slowly and deliberately as Jaye trained his eyes on her hands. She placed it down on the table slight, making a motion towards it, and Jaye picked it gingerly off the table. He weighed it in his hands, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the girls, and ripped the top off. He pulled out its contents, eyes widening, and he shot to his feet in a fury. His chair tipped over in the process, and the other sister caught it as it fell, standing it back up on its feet. He tossed the envelope onto the table, and its contents, a small pile of photographs, scattered across the tabletop.

'What's the meaning of this?' He hissed, taking a confrontational step towards the pair, and they backed away immediately out of his reach. The girls raised their hands once more.

'Just a gift. And a message.' The girl said, taking a breath as she recited the message off a card in her hand. 'Since you seem to want to kill them so much to hide your tracks, but don't have the balls to do it, I'm considering taking the liberty of doing it for you, Jaye bird.' She lowered the card. 'That was from my employer. I'm not at liberty to reveal his name, but if you want to see those two alive again, you're going to come to this location by midnight.' She extended the card to the boy, her other hand still raised in the air, and Jaye narrowed his eyes at the address scrawled on the back. He immediately recognized the handwriting, and evidently so did the other two as they exchanged worried glances across the table. He snatched the card out of her hand, and the messenger once more retreated to a safe distance away from the seething boy.

'Fine. Tell him I'm coming for his traitorous ass. And I'm coming for blood.' He spat, tossing the card onto the table. 'He'd better be ready.'

The girls bowed to him, turning tail and darting straight out the door of the restaurant. Jaye watched them leave, his eyes fixed on the two girls until they rounded a corner and disappeared from sight, before finally returning his attention to the table. He realized that the people around him were staring, and he gave them a dismissive wave before sitting down again. The three exchanged a silent argument across the table, and Jaye crossed his arms at the two who were now glaring him down with a passion.

Sitting between the three was the envelope, its contents still spread out across the tabletop. Frozen in the photo was two people, two very familiar people, bound and laying in a corner, glaring defiantly at the camera. The girl's ears were flared against her skull, and her tail was standing on edge as her brother lay on the metal floor. Jaye picked up the photograph again, studying it quietly, and raised an eyebrow as a waiter approached their table.

'Is uh…everything okay sir?' The lady asked, her fingers trembling a little against the tray she held against her thighs, a forced smile plastered across her face. Jaye flashed her a reassuring smile.

'Yes, everything's just fine. Can we get the bill please?'

* * *

In Their Room On A Ship

* * *

'They were runners, no doubt about it.' Kamina said, running a whetstone against the edge of his claws. 'Looks like what Ray told us about the Faction presence in this country being neutral is turning into a load of bull.'

'It's entirely possible that they changed allegiances recently, and everyone has yet to hear about it.' Indigo pointed out, placing her hands on the bed and crossing her legs with a flourish. 'Or a certain someone has become big enough that The Faction here doesn't care what he does. Ray's been on boats for months, unsurprisingly his information isn't exactly the most updated. We should know better than anyone that loyalty doesn't mean jack to Faction members. They'll pat you on the back one day and stab you in the back tomorrow. We've experienced that first hand.'

'Either way this ends badly.' Jaye said, turning his attention to the card in his hand. He eyes the scrawled address with contempt. 'We need to move.'

The handwriting was Damian's. The three recognized it immediately when they saw it; Damian always had the most beautiful handwriting, ironic for his character since he found beauty in nothing about the world except in killing. It was clear that he'd kidnapped the twins; he evidently was aware that the twins seemed to matter to Jaye quite a bit. It made sense if he knew who they were; they'd all been on that job together. However, considering how Damian was, it was hard to believe that he still remembered who those kids were after all this time. Jaye had hardly recognized them even after they'd revealed who they were, and Kamina and Indigo were hardly any different. Go through a few hundred jobs, and all your targets' faces start to look the same in your head.

'Still, I wonder how on earth he knew where to find us. Or how he knew that we'd made contact with the twins.' Jaye said, crossing his arms. 'It seems a bit strange for him to decide to kidnap them out of nowhere just because we dumped them in a random back alley to get them off our tail.'

'I agree. There was no guarantee that we would come for them in the first place.' Indigo said. 'Just because we decided not to kill them doesn't mean that we're averse to leaving them for dead.'

'There has to be a reason but thinking about it now isn't going to help.' Kamina scratched his ears, flicking the appendages back and forth. 'Our first priority is getting on one of those ships and getting the hell out of here.'

Jaye stared at his two teammates. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief as they nodded to each other in agreement, and he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on.

'We're just going to leave them to die?' He said incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief. 'I know they're out to kill us, but they're just kids!'

'And so were we when we started.' Indigo said, crossing her arms. 'It wasn't any different for us; get caught and things were clear, no one was coming to save you. If they've been living out there like we have, and even underwent assassination or runner training, then they must be prepared for this to happen.'

'Going to save them does nothing for us at all.' Kamina sighed, making an off-handed gesture at the ocean through the window embedded in the wall. 'We'd be better off just making our way to Mistral as fast as possible so we can catch up with little red and her band of merry trouble-makers.'

'Mina, we're leaving kids to die. We're leaving a faunus kid to die! You fought so hard to free faunus from slavery and torture, and you're just going to leave this kid to die?'

'That's different. Those people couldn't stand up for themselves. They needed someone to save them, to pave the way for them to survive on their own. Those kids, they became assassins. They must have accepted the consequences before they even began.' The fox boy sat down heavily on his bed. 'We should treat them with the honor we give to our fellow assassins. Let them live by the cause they swore to and die to the vows they made, just like everyone else.'

Jaye stared at his teammates with a mixture of horror and disgust, and he turned his gaze to the floor. Kamina heaved a heavy sigh, kicking his feet up onto the bed with a groan.

'Let's get some rest, okay? We've got a long journey ahead of us.' Kamina rolled over on his bed, making a sound of satisfaction as the pillow was softer than he thought it would be. Jaye shook his head, sitting down on his bed and turning to face the wall. Indigo did the same, trying her best to ignore the tension thick in the room between them, wading her way instead to as neutral of a zone as she could. She glanced back once more at the sullen boy, still staring and brooding at the wall, but she couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her chest as she watched him quietly ponder to himself. She decided to ignore it, electing instead to trust the boy's better judgement, and laid down on the bed. She let here eyelids flutter shut, pushing thoughts of the boy out of her mind, and focusing instead on the steady breathing of the fox boy behind her.

* * *

One Hour Before Midnight

* * *

'I suppose I saw this coming. Even so, I really was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this.' Kamina folded his arms crossly at the raven-haired boy across from him, raising an eyebrow at the scowling assassin. 'What the hell is wrong with you?'

'I can't just let them die Mina. I can't.' Jaye rubbed a hand across his face with a groan. 'No matter what I do, I can't get them our of my head. Ever since they came to us, I keep dreaming of that night. When I took Thomas's life. When I took Anna's life. When I took away everything that they held dear to them.' He rubbed his eyes roughly. 'I lost my parents too, in one night, in just an instant. I did the exact same thing that turned my life upside down to them and broke their lives in two.'

'It was a job. You had no choice. It was kill or be killed.'

'Convenient excuse isn't it? An easy way to justify all the things that we've done wrong.'

'It's true. You know better than anyone what happens to those that fail their missions.' Kamina said. 'You can't blame yourself for what happened. If you didn't kill them, you would be dead now.'

'Maybe so. Or maybe I could have lived an entirely different life from the one we've been living up until now.' Jaye shook his head slowly. 'I never really thought about what I was leaving behind when I killed people; I never have. But meeting them has made that clear to me. Killing is such a horrifying thing; you haven't just taken a life, you've destroyed the lives of everyone who ever knew your victim. You break so much more people than just the one, all in the few seconds it takes me to draw my blade across his throat.'

The two boys glared at each other for a few moments, until Jaye finally dragged his eyes away from the fox boy. He grimaced at the floor, balling his hands into fists as he steeled his resolve.

'I know you're probably right.' He breathed, letting his hands fall limply to his sides. 'It makes so much sense to just leave them behind and get rid of pursuers and throw Damian off our trail until we gain a stronger foothold. But I can't do it, Mina, I can't. I'm going to save them, whether you like it or not. Please don't try to stop me.'

He stalked past the fox boy, bracing himself, but Kamina let him pass him by without a word. He released the breath he didn't know he had been holding, placing a hand on his chest to steady his breathing. He caught a flash of orange out of the corner of his eye.

'I'm coming with you.' Kamina grinned, appearing out of nowhere as he teleported to the boy's side. 'We were together at the beginning, might as well end it together too.'

Jaye returned his grin, clapping the boy on the shoulder appreciatively, and they flinched as another voice rang out from behind them.

'I hope you don't think you're leaving me behind.' Indigo raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips, as she sashayed her way over to the two boys. 'Don't forget you two idiots are completely lost without me, so don't think you morons can go doing things on your own.'

Jaye grinned at the girl, grabbing her by the shoulder, and glanced towards the road where their bikes were waiting. He pulled the card out of his jacket, checking the address again, and grinned a cocky grin at the moon.

'Alright Damian, time's up. It's time to count your sins.'

'Don't steal my lines you midget bastard.'

'Kiss my fabulous ass fox boy.'

* * *

Chapter 48 end!


	50. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Here we go guys, it's the beginning of the end here and I'm really excited to see the conclusion of this story arc and start making our way into Chapter 5. Do note that this is actually happening during chapter 4 an early chapter 5, so we'll be cutting in close to the battle at Haven once we finish up here.

* * *

'You actually came. I don't believe it.' Damian shook his head in disbelief, staring down at his former teammates with utter contempt. 'You're stupider than I thought you'd be.'

'Don't underestimate me.' Jaye warned, waggling a precocious finger at the traitor. 'It could well be the last thing you ever do.'

'I see you're still a cocky bastard. Glad to see that hasn't changed.' Damian rolled his eyes as he grinned down at the three. 'It's wonderful to see you.'

'I see you're still a spineless asshole. It's not quite as wonderful to see you though.' Jaye crossed his arms languidly. 'Let the twins go.'

'You know, I always wonder why people say that. It's not like the moment you say, "let them go" I just go "okay". I mean, when does that ever happen?' Damian pressed a finger to his forehead. 'Food for thought. But that's a discussion for another time.'

Jaye glanced across the room they were in. The address had led them to an old warehouse that was still up for sale in the corner of the shipyard. It was dark, spooky, and utterly filled with all the clichés of kidnapping villains. He rolled his eyes at the assassin.

'Seriously, if you wanted to kidnap someone and prepare a trap for their rescuers you really should have put more thought into the setting. Abandoned warehouses are so ten years ago.'

'I suppose it wouldn't help if I tied them up over a pit of boiling lava either.'

'Nah, that's fine, kind of a throwback to Sunday morning cartoons. On the other hand, if you did the C4 vest thing that would be the last straw.'

'I'll keep that in mind the next time I kidnap someone.' Damian smiled widely, his blades glinting in the gentle moonlight. 'Unfortunately, the lava pit isn't quite ready, but I assure you the captives aren't particularly prone to C4 induced combustion.'

While that spelled good news for the time being, it seemed to the three that any rescue attempt they would make was going to be a violent one, as the high walls of the warehouse and its small and far out of reach windows afforded them very few escape routes. The walkways were blocked off by guards, and a row of them stood across the only entrance. Cliché as it was, the warehouse was perfect for a covert kidnapping and ambush, and resolute as he was Jaye was beginning to have some reservations in coming straight here without a plan. He turned his attention back to the assassin.

'That's wonderful.' Jaye shot back, raising an eyebrow at Damian. 'Mind if we see said captives?'

'Why of course. In the meantime, you'd best be laying down your weapons.' The red-clad man waved a finger at the three, his henchmen stepping forwards into the light to reveal two bound characters. The twins glared at their surroundings over their gags, hands and feet bound behind them, and Jaye raised an eyebrow at them.

'Well I'm surprised you haven't killed them yet.' Jaye pointed out, pulling his swords off his back. The henchmen surrounding them tenses immediately, their guns still raised and poised at the three, and Jaye spun his swords nonchalantly in his hands. He glared pointedly at the men surrounding him and tossed the blades onto the ground. 'I was expecting to come here to collect the bodies.'

'I was expecting you to come.' Damian breathed, letting the back of his katana slide across the Artemis's neck. She flinched away from it, and he chuckled softly at the girl. 'I was right when I said you'd gone soft.'

'I guess you were.' Jaye said, raising an eyebrow as one of the henchmen inched precariously forward to swipe his swords off the ground. Jaye pulled the shield off his back, clearing his throat at the guard, who seemed to be terrified out of his mind. He held the shield out to the boy, who took it gingerly from his hand. 'Now you've got me. Let the twins go.'

'Oh, this game isn't over yet Jaye bird.' Damian laughed heartily as he spun his swords in his hands. 'We're just getting started. Before we even begin to discuss letting these young-uns go, we're going to need to see some entertainment.'

'I can do the hula for you. I'm not good at it though.'

'As amusing as that would be to watch, I think we can vouch for something a little more violent.' Damian grinned down at his former teammates, sheathing his blades with a flourish. 'After all, there's nothing more entertaining than watching people kick the crap out of each other.'

'I hope you're not thinking of something like having the three of us kill each other.' Jaye said, raising an eyebrow at Indigo as she flashed the young and terrified henchman a sultry smile as she handed him her swords, running a finger down his arm and earning a terrified squeak from him. 'I think we both know how that's going to end up.'

'Damn, there goes that idea out the window. Consider my plans well and truly foiled.'

'Wonderful. In that case I'll just take those little shits and be on my way now.'

'Well, you'll be taking one pair of twins with you.' Damian chuckled devilishly to no one in particular. 'Of course, I know better than to try and turn you against one another; that would never happen. I've thought of something much better.'

* * *

In the middle of a square cage

* * *

Jaye eyed the two hooded figures across from him. Apollo and Artemis were still bound but on their feet now, poised next to the red-clad man lounging in a random armchair that had evidently appeared out of nowhere. A casual smile was plastered across his face, and Jaye noted the surprising lack of tension in the twins as they watched the scene unfold before their eyes. He surmised that any tension or fear they ought to be having was probably being blocked out by the fact that they were about to witness what they likely believed to be the impending death of their parents' murderer. He glanced unobtrusively at his teammates, who were currently bound hand and feet on their knees beside the twins. Indigo shook her head conspicuously, and Kamina wiggled his eyebrows at the raven-haired boy. Jaye turned his attention back to the hooded figures before him, narrowing his eyes pointedly and searching for any indications of what kind of weapons he was up against. The cage they were in was large, but hardly large enough to provide him with optimal room to move. Barely ten meters long, the cage was hardly suited for creating distance between him and his likely armed attackers.

'Well since you seem to love twins so much that you're willing to die for them, I thought I'd give you a little something.' Damian waved his hand, and the hoods were thrown back. Jaye raised an eyebrow at the two girls across from him. He recognized them as the girls who delivered the message to them at the restaurant, and he folded his arms across his chest. 'They're not exactly twins, but close enough.'

'And what, you expect me to kill them?' He raised an eyebrow at the red-clad assassin. 'If I didn't kill those two, what make you think I'll kill them?'

'Well, to put it simply, because you'll die if you don't.' Damian laughed his annoying laugh again as he lounged in his armchair. 'These two are another pair of victims of you and your ambition. Another pair of parents slain; another pair of children thrown into the wild to fend for themselves because you took their lives when you took their parents'. So, trust me when I say, they're going to kill you or die trying.'

'That still doesn't answer my question.' Jaye rolled his eyes once more. 'What makes you think I'm going to kill them? I could just incapacitate them and leave them here while I busy myself killing you.'

'Well that part's simple really.' Damian gestured to the twins next to him. 'If you don't kill them, I kill kitty-cat and her brother here. And if you refuse to even _try_ to kill them, they're going to kill you. Simple logic really.'

'Wow, you actually thought this through. Didn't think you had it in you, good job.'

'And clearly you didn't since you were stupid enough to come here.' Damian waved his hand again at the two girls. 'Begin. I'm getting bored here.'

Jaye sighed as he eyed the two girls before him. He raised an eyebrow as they unfastened their cloaks and threw them aside, revealing leather suits that were well armored in the vital areas. He eyed the plates with contempt, looking for breaks in the armor, but his thoughts were interrupted as they drew long knives from their backs. He raised his eyebrow even further, hearing Kamina's voice echo in his head, and let it fall back down. He stepped forwards into a basic fighting stance, letting his breath out slowly as he sized up the girls. The older of the two was taller than he was, leading to an additional reach advantage, and with no weapons of his own he had nothing to make up for the difference. He scratched his foot into the dusty floor beneath him, noting the small amount of gravel laying over the surface. Damian yawned loudly again.

'What's wrong with you two? I said BEGIN!'

* * *

And that is the end of this chapter. This took way more chapters than I thought it would and I'm so sorry I can't update this consistently. I would promise to do better in the future but we all know I can't make good on that. We'll finally be going into volume 5 soon, so I'm hyped for this.


	51. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

* * *

Spinning their knives in hand, the girls launched themselves towards the raven-haired boy, and Jaye rolled to the side as they came crashing down. He blocked a knife with his gauntlet, thankful that they were tough enough to take axe blows and kicked the offender away. He slid under their flurries, rolling out of the way as the girls slashed at his prone form. He spun into a butterfly twist, throwing a kick out as he did so and knocking a knife from one of the girls' hands. He twisted into several more kicks as he landed, forcing them to back off. The girl retrieved her knife from where it had bounced off the cage wall, and Jaye narrowed his eyes at the two. Currently the older sister seemed to be the more aggressive one, but the younger sister was a touch faster. With no weapons to effectively fight back with, he was at a severe disadvantage, and he resolved to take at least one knife from the girls as soon as he could.

'I suppose at this point we should introduce ourselves. I'm Jaye.' Jaye said, watching the two carefully as they began to close the distance. The girls raised their knives at him, continuing to stare at the boy impassively, and he heaved a sigh as they continued their approach.

'Look, I don't know what Damian promised you, or what he's told you about me, but I can assure you that half of them are lies. Or at the very least, he's left out large portions of the truth.' Jaye raised his hands as they slashed at him, sliding back out of the way as the girls flurried him once more. He grabbed an outstretched arm, earning himself a kick to the gut, and launched himself off the cage wall. He kept his grip on her arm as he did so, twisting in midair and throwing the girl over his head. She bounced off the cage wall with a cry, tumbling to the floor. Her sister threw a kick into the boy's head, glancing off his gauntlet instead, and he flipped over her to escape. He charged up the cage wall, bouncing off the ceiling, and slammed his armored boots down into her crossed blades. The two crashed into the floor in a tangle of limbs, and he kicked her knives out of her hands. He dived for the scattered blades, swiping one off the ground, and she retrieved the other with undisguised contempt. The other girl, recovered from her flight into the cage wall, clicked the long knife handles together. Raising her arm, she flicked the swords downwards, and the two blades locked together as they extended into a double ended blade. The other girl extended the single knife she was holding into a short sword, and Jaye fiddled with the one he was holding.

'Well, if you don't mind calling a temporary truce to show me how to do that then well, that'd be swell.' He grinned, eyeing the handle as no obvious triggers were immediately visible. 'No? That's okay, I'll figure it out.'

The girls charged him without another word, spinning in unison as Jaye once more found himself with a significant reach disadvantage, and cursed his inability to figure out how their weapons worked. He slipped a forward slash, proving a tough adversary nonetheless as he continued to slip and deflect their furious blows.

'You know this fight would be a lot more fulfilling if I knew what we were fighting about!' He panted, catching the wrist of one of the girls, slipping to the side as the double-bladed sword spun past his waist. The girl swiped at his ankles, freeing her sister from his grasp and forcing the boy to back away into the cage wall. She started after him, her feet slipping a little on the gravel, and Jaye took the opportunity to launch a dropkick into her face, shoving the other girl aside in the process. She screamed in pain as she flew into the cage wall, and Jaye flipped to his feet as her sister swiped her short sword at his prone figure. He sailed narrowly over the blade, striking back with the dagger and spinning into a back kick with the momentum. The girl crashed into the wall with a groan, and he swiftly backed off to the other side of the cage as they recovered.

'You guys are terrible conversationalists.' He shook his head, spinning the knife in his hand and trying in vain to find out how to extend the blade. Damian yawned in his armchair.

'You know, if you're not going to fight them seriously then I ought to just kill these kiddos here right now.' Damian sighed, jerking his thumb at the currently bound twins behind him. The henchmen holding them down took the signal, forcing the twins to their knees as they pressed their guns to side of their heads. Artemis swished her tail angrily at the barrel pressed to her temple, and Jaye had to applaud her for her defiant lack of fear, if nothing else. The two girls dragged themselves, groaning, to their feet, and Damian flashed them a look of contempt. 'Scarlett, Violet, get your shit together you hear me?'

The girls, Scarlett and Violet, nodded to the red-clad man. He eyed the twins quietly, wondering who was who, before noting the color of their eyes. True to their names, the girls' eyes were vivid purple and red, and he assumed their names followed that distinction. Scarlett charged him, splitting her sword back into two blades, and Jaye groaned as they approached. He retreated once more under their onslaught, backing up into the cage, and Damian cleared his throat loudly, gesturing unobtrusively towards the pair of twins kneeling on the ground. The henchmen pressed the guns a little harder into their temples, and Jaye responded by kicking Violet across the cage. Throwing the knife at her, Scarlett ducked under it desperately, and Jaye seized the chance to close the gap. Grabbing Scarlett by the wrists, he headbutted her hard, kicking her legs apart to throw her balance and slammed the palm of his hand into her temple. She skidded across the dusty floor, and Jaye threw up his hands at the assassin. Damian rolled his eyes, waving off his henchmen, and he took the guns off the twins' heads.

'Entertain me, puppet boy!' He declared, spreading his arms wide, and Jaye swore loudly at the sociopath. Seeing no way out of the current situation, he seized Violet by the arm, driving his foot into the side of her knee. She screamed in pain as she buckled, and he wrenched the sword out of her hand. She twisted her arm out of his grip, backing away to a safe distance, and Scarlett dived headfirst into the boy. Her blades at the ready, she spun them in vain into his gauntlets and Jaye kicked one sword out of her hand. He deflected a few blows, spinning the short sword expertly between his fingers, and she tried to distract him with a kick to the stomach before following up with her blade. He seized her hand in his, slamming his forearm down on the blade clutched between her fingers. It shattered with a loud crash, and she stared at the stump of a sword left in her hand.

'Extendable blades tend to sacrifice structural integrity, while stronger materials tend to have too much weight.' He said, breathing out as he blocked her retaliation. 'In most cases the housing section of your blade would be made of a stronger material, while the solid blade portion would be made of regular steel to balance out the weight and keep consistent durability through the weapon. Your blades were designed poorly.' He seized Violet's arm as she slashed at him, shattering her sword as well. 'I could tell the moment I spun your sword in my hand. Whoever you got it from must really not care if you live or die.'

Violet backed out of reach, retrieving the previously discarded dagger, and the two girls huddled together in the middle of the cage. They suddenly didn't seem quite as sure of themselves, and Jaye felt the momentum shift in his favor. He stepped towards the girls, each of them now brandishing a dagger each. They had smartly returned them to their dagger forms to avoid him breaking them once more, but the threat had served its purpose and now significantly reduced their reach advantage. Not much he could do about the fact that they were taller than him, but the shortened blades helped a lot. He launched himself over their heads, kicking Violet in the back and separating the two. He seized Scarlett's hand as she slashed at him, removing the knife from her grasp and slamming his elbow into her temple. She stumbled to the ground, shaking her head, and he launched his foot across her face. She cried out in pain as his foot connected, and her aura fortification fizzed out as she collapsed. Violet let out a war cry, charging the boy, and he threw the knife at her as she approached. Swatting it out of the air, she cursed as she realized the knife was a distraction and the boy had seized her wasted movement to close the gap between them. He struck the knife out of her hand, launching a fist across her face, and she swore in response to the blow. She shielded her face desperately as he barraged her with bare handed strikes, and she doubled over as his fist collided with her stomach. She gasped in pain, and an uppercut finally cut between her arms and slammed into her chin, rocking her on her feet. She felt a hand grasp her collar, feeling a leg slide between her own, and the world spun as she went head over heels and into the floor. Executing a solid uchi mata, Jaye dropped her unceremoniously onto the metal, apologizing under his breath to the girls as he turned once more to face the assassin still nonchalantly picking at his nails in his armchair.

'Well? Fight's over.' Jaye panted, crossing his arms at Damian, and the red-clad man got to his feet with a shake of his head.

'Is it? I didn't notice you finish, on account of it being so boring and all.' He yawned, stretching out his legs as he paced around the twins. 'I thought I told you to kill them.'

'I thought I told you I wouldn't?'

'And I thought I told you that either you die, they die, or the twins snuff it.' Damian rolled his eyes, his hand falling to his swords at his waist. 'You really hate following orders, don't you?'

'It's part of my charm.' Jaye said. 'The trade is simple really. You have me, so let the twins go.'

'I think not.' Damian laughed, drawing his blade with a flourish. He spun the katana between his fingers, indicating for the henchmen to remove the gags of the twins. He grinned devilishly at the boy, raising the blade in his hands. 'You see, even if I let them go, they're just going to come right back to me. There would hardly be a point.'

Jaye stared at the twins, who were now wiggling their eyebrows as their gags were removed. Artemis gave the boy a smug smile, winking at him, and he felt the smile fall off his face in realization.

'…Well I guess that explains it.' Jaye let his arms fall to his side, picking up the two discarded daggers in the cage with him. 'They were yours all along.'

'They were.' He placed a hand on the twins heads in turn, ruffling their hair, and they smiled bashfully up at the assassin. 'I trained them, largely for fun, but it gave them purpose. So imagine my surprise when in the end, they would be the ones to bring you to me? I certainly never expected it until they gave me a call right before you lot left Vale.'

'So that's how you tracked us all the way to Mire. I thought it was a bit too coincidental for you to just happened to be here to kidnap them.'

'It's a bitch ain't it? Your past mistakes are coming back to haunt you. And it mattered so much to me that YOU were the ones to drive them to such desperation! It gave me so much relish to know that I could groom them into pawns used solely to kill you.' Damian slammed a maniacal hand into the side of the cage. 'You really brought this upon yourself you know. Jaye Ryder, Niflheim. The star boy of the Faction. Unparalleled in every way, and he has never failed; not once. Of course, not one man could live up to the legend that was you. Not even me.'

'So that's what this is about.' Jaye breathed a condescending sigh, touching a gloved finger to his forehead. 'All of this just to prove you were the better assassin?'

'But of course.' Damian grinned, running a finger down the side of the cage. Jaye took a disgusted step away from the crazed man, shivering slightly as he did so. 'When we were on the same team it was always Team RHKD and their fearless leader Jaye Ryder. No matter how many kills I made, no matter what part I played in the missions, even my solo runs, you were always the star. The man to be feared; Jaye Ryder. I was living in your shadow, and I hated it.'

'Then you should have worked harder.' Jaye spat, crossing his arms once more. 'I earned my title and my respect.'

'And so have I.' Damian smiled, spreading his arms wide. 'I have amassed power and fortune. People tremble when they hear my name; the Red Devil of the Faction! I've taken your place, AND your legacy. I have defeated you not once, but three times now. I have taken everything that you ever had for my own!'

'Good job. Want a medal?'

'I have become more than you EVER will be!'

'That's great man. But I've got a boat to catch, so if you don't mind, I'll just take my teammates and go now.'

'And now this is the end. I will take everything you hold dear to you and strip them away. I will erase my shame from the history books, I will erase Team RHKD from existence. No one will ever speak your name again, and I will finally have beaten you.' Damian let his arms fall to his side, breathing out in a slow sigh. 'And I will finally have everything I deserve.'

'You already have everything. What more could you possibly want?' Jaye slammed his fists into the cage wall. The guards took a step back as the cage rattled, the chains seemed like they were going to snap off at any second. 'You've beaten me, destroyed my home, and taken away the peace I so desperately longed for. What more could you possibly want?'

'That is quite simple. I wish to take away the humanity that you have tried so hard to regain.' He breathed, pointing his blade at the twins. He withdrew his wakizashi slowly, pacing towards them. The looks of adoration on the siblings' faces suddenly turned to confusion, and they attempted to inch away from him as he approached. They yelped as the henchmen around them seized them, forcing them back down onto their knees. 'I may have defeated you, but those hardly matter. You were weak, you ARE weak, because of them. You have let your humanity get in the way of your power. There is no meaning in a victory like that.'

'You're delusional.'

'I'm POWERFUL!' The red-clad assassin howled at the moon, and Jaye took an involuntary step back. He raised the knives in his hands, slashing at the chains holding the cage walls shut. 'And if killing these two is what it will take to return you to your former glory, then it is a small price to pay.' He turned his grin on the twins. 'After all, children like you are in great supply.'

'Master, you bastard!' Apollo swore, pushing himself in front of his sister. 'We trusted you!'

'And what was the first lesson I taught you? Don't trust anyone.' He raised the swords in his hands. Jaye screamed in anguish as the knife shattered against the chains, and he blasted cold air at the lock. 'Goodbye children. It was a pleasure.'

'No!' Jaye yelled, slamming his foot into the cage door. The lock cracked but did not break, and he howled as the red-clad man drove his blades down at the boy's chest.

As if on cue, a heeled boot slammed itself into the man's head, and Indigo pushed off his temple as she backflipped off the assassin. Damian swore incessantly as she slid in front of the twins, glaring back at the henchmen who were currently reaching for their guns. Kamina sprang up from his spot on the floor, kicking the henchmen away from him as he danced to the side, shit eating grin plastered across his face as he did so. Jaye heaved a sigh of relief, turning his attention back to the lock. He launched up a pillar of ice, the cage rattling against the chains as he pushed, and he launched blasts of cold air at the chains securing the cage to the ground.

'You won't kill them that easily.' She declared, raising her hands into a fighting stance, and Kamina made for the henchmen guarding their weapons. She grimaced at the kids behind her, still bound on the floor, and Damian laughed as he raised his swords.

'Don't kid yourself Indigo. We both know that you're not the best hand to hand fighter around. And you're going to find it a tad bit hard to retrieve your weapons.' He raised the blade at the girl. 'My men have that covered.'

Kamina skidded to a stop at the corner, waving sheepishly at the crowd of henchmen guarding the heavy safe their weapons were in. They raised their guns at him, and he flashed away with a girly scream. Indigo rolled her eyes at the fox boy, glancing worriedly at the boy now trying to break the chains of the cage as the henchmen began to fire at him. He had gathered the two girls still in the cage with him behind his ice walls, but he was having trouble keeping the ice solid while freezing the chains.

'So, what will it be girl? Run away and leave the kids to die? Or stay and die yourself?' Damian spun his swords nonchalantly, and Indigo shook her head.

'How about no.'

'Then it's settled.' He dashed towards her, slashing at her feet, and she backed away out of reach. She kicked at his blade as he struck, using her perfect vision to keep out of reach of his weapons. He fired at her a few times, and she flipped away and out of reach. She cursed as she did so; the children were exposed.

'That was a mistake.' Damian smiled, pointing his gun at the faunus. Artemis swore at the assassin, and Indigo sprinted for the terrified girl. 'Goodbye.'

He pulled the trigger.


	52. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

* * *

The gunshot was eerily loud, somehow sounding out over the myriad of automatic weapons going off at the exact moment, and the two boys turned as if on instinct towards the source. Time seemed to slow as they did so, and they were met with the violent splatters of blood as Indigo fell to the ground. Her arms wrapped around the faunus girl, Artemis's eyes widened as if she couldn't believe what was happening, and the auburn-haired girl pushed herself slowly off the metal floor. Her aura fizzed and crackled, vanishing in a flash, and she coughed harshly onto the metal floor.

'Now that was unexpected.' Damian mused uncaringly, sliding the gun back behind his waist as he approached. Indigo pushed herself to her feet, clutching at her chest where the bullet had passed through her body. She nearly collapsed as she turned to face the man, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Damian raised an eyebrow.

'Now that is even more unexpected. I thought you'd be dead already; I put a lot of aura into that bullet.' He spun the sword in his hand, watching the girl quietly. 'Today really is full of surprises.'

'You're not laying a hand on these two. Not for as long as I live.' Indigo coughed, her breathing ragged, and Artemis stared incredulously at the woman as she stood protectively over the two. 'Jaye would never forgive himself if they died.'

'Is that so? Then what about you?'

Damian raised the sword in his hand, driving it through the girl's chest. Indigo hardly flinched as he did so, a grin slowly creeping across her face, and she seized the man by the collar. He flinched away from her, driving his wakizashi into her stomach as well, and she coughed a deep red stain onto his jacket. Still her hands remained, dragging the man towards her as the blades sank deeper. Pulling herself along the swords, she wrapped her arms around the man, smiling up at the crazed assassin.

'You lose Damian.' She breathed, and too late Damian noticed the glow beside his face. He made a sound of surprise as Indigo clenched her fist, and his scream of pain was cut short as a blade of pure aura passed into his throat. He gurgled in response as blood filled his mouth, and he ripped his blades out of her body as the dying woman fell to the ground. Damian dropped to his knees, his swords clattering away, and Artemis practically threw herself at the bleeding woman. She dived under her as she fell, Indigo collapsing across the faunus girl, and she lowered her slowly to the ground as Damian clutched at his bleeding throat. Apollo draped his bound hands across her wounds, and she laughed at the boy as the tears fell down from his face. Artemis placed her hands over the gushing holes, her sobs barely audible amidst the fighting, and the purple blade vanished in a puff from Indigo's hand.

'Why?' She choked, pressing harder as the blood didn't stop, and Indigo coughed harshly. She stared blankly at the ceiling, finally turning her eyes to the crying girl.

'I don't know.' She breathed, smiling serenely. 'But I couldn't let you die.'

A howl erupted from across the room, and the cage in the middle simultaneously erupted in a burst of ice. Jaye screamed his sorrow as shards of ice exploded in every direction, impaling henchmen as they scrambled for cover. He made a mad dash for the dying woman, forming crude weapons as he cleaved those in his way to pieces, and an orange flash appeared before the twins. Damian crawled to his feet as Kamina howled, snatching the katana off the floor. Damian dived for the shorter sword, raising it in defence, and Kamina screamed his fury as he went on the attack. He smashed the sword into Damian's, the gravely injured assassin barely able to defend himself as the faunus boy rampaged. The henchmen approached the two, intent on saving their master, but Kamina killed them as quickly as they came. Damian's aura fizzled out as he panicked, still bleeding profusely from the hole in his throat, and the assassin fell to his knees as Kamina slashed his legs out from under him. Kamina screamed his fury, raising the blade above his head.

Drenched in blood, save for his own, he slammed the katana down onto Damian's wakizashi. With a resounding crack, both blades snapped into pieces, and without a shred of hesitation Kamina drove the shattered sword into Damian's chest. Blood poured from the now painted red assassin's mouth, and Kamina retrieved the broken wakizashi from where it lay. With a howl of rage, he swung the sword into the man's neck, embedding it deep within the soft tissue and kicking the dying man to the ground. Blood poured from the open wound, and Damian's eyes finally lost their crazed spark. Staggering away, Kamina dropped to his knees in exhaustion, his chest heaving as he stared at the lifeless body of his former teammate before him. He let the stump of a sword clutched in his hand fall to the ground, the clattering deafening in the sudden silence, broken only by the desperate pleas from behind him. As if roused from a slumber, he dragged his leaden body around to face the sobbing boy as he clutched the woman he loved in his arms.

'No no no!' Jaye's voice was coming out in tatters now, his panic growing with every word, and he choked on himself as his throat finally closed up. 'Indigo!'

The girl smiled weakly at him, raising a trembling hand to his cheek to brush away a tear streaking down his face. She laughed softly, her laugh turning into a retching cough as she fought to keep her eyes open. Jaye seized her hand in his, pressing it to his cheek.

'Don't cry you dumbass, you sound like a dying cat when you do. And not the quiet kind.' She wheezed, screwing her eyes shut in pain. 'Though I guess I'm the one that's dying. Oh god it hurts to breathe.'

'Indigo!'

'Yes yes, I'm Indigo.' She laughed again, blood trickling down the corners of her mouth this time as she coughed. He wiped the blood from her teeth, and she thanked him softly. 'I guess this means it's over huh?'

'No, I'm going to save you. You're going to be fine.' Jaye swore, and she shook her head weakly, grasping at his cheeks. She turned him to face her, staring into his eyes as her breathing slowed.

'Don't do that Jaye, we've seen enough death to know when it's coming. And it's coming for me now; no two ways about it.' She grinned wistfully. 'This is exactly how I pictured my death; bleeding out in some abandoned warehouse somewhere as someone finally got the better of me one way or another. And I knew you'd be there, holding me as I went.'

'I can't lose you. I can't.' Jaye choked out, cradling the broken woman in his arms, and she shook her head.

'It was time I went anyway. I told you; death is coming for me. And I plan to greet him like the old friend he is.' She smiled grimly at the filthy ceiling above her. 'It's like my whole life I've been living in a state where I'm only half-awake. As if one of my eyes was tied to the past and the other was just barely looking out at the world before me. The only times I felt like I was really awake and seeing things for what they were was when I was with you. You made everything seem clear to me; like we had it all fleshed out. I treasured that more than anything; I loved you more than anything. And I'm glad that it's you with me in these last moments I'm living.'

'I'm honored you feel that way. I loved every moment I spent with you too.'

'I'm so happy to hear that!' She wheezed into a barely audible laugh, grinning her beautiful smile up at the boy as she attempted to wipe the tears from his cheeks. 'My parents went away when I was just a little girl. They left me on the steps of an orphanage and took any love I had in me with them. I lived so much of my life not caring about anything, not loving anything, not feeling anything. But you were different. You made me feel love again, maybe for the first time in my life. I don't think I'd ever have felt love like I do for you for the rest of my life.'

'I feel the same. There's no one else like you in the world, and no one can ever replace you.'

'I know.' She turned her head towards him, her eyes still shining like they always did. 'But she doesn't have to replace me. She just has to make you happy.'

'Who are you talking about?'

'The blondie, obviously!' She laughed raggedly, clutching at her chest. 'I hope you two can be happy. No sense haunting you from the grave anyway, that would be a real waste of my afterlife.'

Indigo grinned even wider this time, grasping a fistful of his shirt in her hands. Still she stared up at the grimy ceiling, her breaths coming out in little puffs now, eyelids fluttering as she tried to keep them open. She finally found the strength to turn her head and felt her vision blur as she caught sight of his face once more.

'Hey Jaye?'

'Yeah Indigo?'

'Are you there?'

'I'm here.'

'I don't want to go.' Her voice caught in her throat, and she heaved in a deep and desperate breath. She reached up for him once more, and he touched her hand to his cheek. 'I don't want to leave you-!'

'I know you don't. I don't want you to go either.' His hands were shaking now. 'Be brave Indigo, be brave.'

'I can see the stars Jaye. They're beautiful.'

'They are. They're shining just for you.'

'I think so too.' Her hand went slack in his grip, and he tightened his hold on the woman as she sank into his arms. 'I wonder if you'll look up there one day, and see me smiling down at you?'

'I know I will. Every day for the rest of my life.'

'Hah. Not a chance. You'd have a better chance finding me in hell.'

'I'd fight the devil to bring you back.'

'I know.' She sighed as deeply as she could. 'I know.'

The girl went slack in his grip, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to stay awake. The boy grit his teeth hard, leaning over the girl as she tried in vain to keep her hand on his cheek.

'Jaye, I feel so cold…' She was hardly breathing now, her chest slowing nearly to a halt. 'It's so cold.'

'I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. I'm so sorry.'

'It's not your fault. You know, the cold reminds me of you.' She breathed, her eyelids finally falling shut. 'I hope that blondie can melt your frozen heart a little. It'd be better for everyone.'

'You already have. It melted for you.' He gripped her tighter as her head lulled back. 'You already did it.'

'I love you Jaye.'

'I love you too Indigo.'

'I wonder what would be the most cliché song to sing right now. I can't think of one off the top of my head.'

'Maybe the sound of silence. You always hear it during sad scenes.'

'That's the one.' The corners of her lips just barely tugged upwards. 'How did it go again?'

'Hello darkness my old friend.' Jaye sang softly, pressing his lips to her forehead. 'I've come to talk with you again.'

'You always had the most beautiful voice.' She breathed. Her chest quivered as she tried to draw breath, and the boy squeezed her hand reassuringly. Her lips were barely moving, but he heard the words as she began to sing under her breath.

'Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds when I was sleeping. And the vision, that was planted in my brain. Still remains. Within the sound…of silence.'

Indigo fell still, her mouth still curling around the last word. A dead silence fell through the room, interrupted by nothing but the sound of sobbing as Jaye clutched the still-warm woman to his chest. His tears fell unabashed onto her face, and he pressed his lips to her forehead once more. Kamina turned away from the two, his face a mask of pain and anguish, and he stared once more across the carnage that had been wrought across the room. He turned his eyes up to the ceiling, but the sky was nowhere in sight. Not an ounce of light broke through the cold, unforgiving steel, and he closed his eyes as the sobbing behind him continued. He felt the tears fall down his own face, and he brushed them away as they continued to fall.

Still the sobbing continued. And still he stood there, not daring to turn around, lest it become real to him. So he let the tears fall down his face, staring up at the ceiling above him and thinking about the starry night sky above, that he hoped beyond hope was winking down at them. But deep in his heart he knew, they were all alone. The stars would offer him no solace tonight.

Nor for any night ever again for the rest of his life.

* * *

And we have reached the end of this chapter. This was a big step for me to write this story arc, since I needed to expand my writing ability so much more. I hope this scene will impact you as much as it did for me to write it, and I hope you feel as heartbroken as I do since that means it worked. These characters mean a lot to me, they're my baby I've been raising for these past two years, and I'm really thankful for you guys who've supported me through this time. To Zackstone13, thank you for giving me Kamina. He's a wonderful character that I hope has been written how you envisioned him. We're going to see a lot more of them in the future as we progress into volume 5 and 6, and I hope it'll be a fulfilling journey.


	53. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

* * *

'I'm not really sure what to say here. I always knew I'd be terrible at this, though I've never actually delivered a eulogy before. But hey, first time for everything I guess.' Jaye cleared his throat, staring sullenly at the grave before him. Emblazoned on the gravestone was a large Violet, intricately carved, resting above a small nameplate that bore two words:

Indigo Hanazawa

'Smart move back then, pretending you'd lost your aura and baiting him into letting his guard down. Aura control always was your specialty. Now that I think about it, you never did teach me how to form aura blades.' Jaye cleared his throat again. 'I know it was the only way to beat him, but I still wish you hadn't done it though. I really do.'

It had been a whole week since the events of the warehouse, and the boys were nearly recovered from their exertions. Standing on a hilltop, the most expensive burial spot overlooking the entire city, the two boys were gathered quietly around the dark grey stele that had taken everything from them. A little way behind them were the twins, Artemis and Apollo, who were quietly watching their feet as the boys continued to stare at the stone. Jaye let his hand fall to his waist, resting it gently on the pair of elegant swords fastened to his belt by the mechanized sheaths. He ran a finger down the purple handle wrappings, clearing his throat once more.

'Thanks for the swords, I guess. They're lovely. I should know, I mean, I gave them to you.' He scratched his head sullenly. 'You mentioned to me once that if you died, you'd want me to have your swords. You said it was so that even if you were gone, you could still protect me in some way, shape or form. I hope you still feel the same way.' He scratched his head again. 'I laughed at the idea, saying I was far more likely to bite it than you. Guess I was wrong there. I really should have listened to you more.'

He paused for a moment to gather himself, fiddling quietly with the handle of the katana.

'I have no idea where your hometown is, or where your parents were from. I doubt you'd wanna be buried in Mistral of all places either, even if it was where you grew up. You never wanted to tell me where you were born, saying that it didn't matter where you were from. I joked at the time, saying "where am I going to bury you if you died then?". You told me to bury you where you died. Well, sorry that I won't keep that promise, but I think this hilltop is a little nicer than where you kicked the bucket. Plus, it would've been a little hard to dig a grave in a metal floor.' He sniffed quietly, brushing his nose with a hand. 'Sorry, that was a bad joke. God, I wish you were still here to laugh at me.'

Kamina placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, and he grasped it firmly. Jaye sucked in a shaky breath through his teeth, grimacing at the tombstone. He saw his vision blur, and blinked the tears out of his eyes, wiping them with the back of his hand. He made a sound of anguish, staring up at the bright blue sky above him.

'I hope the afterlife treats you well. I mean, we gave it a lot of business so that one's kinda up in the air. I hope they turn out happy for the extra traffic.' He choked, patting his chest to clear it as his throat closed up. 'It's going to be so hard without you. I could hardly imagine life without you when you were here, so now that you're gone I have no idea how I'm going to actually live it. But I guess we'll figure it out. We always do.'

Jaye stepped forwards towards the marker, raising his weapons in his hand. He leaned them against the tombstone, wiping a fleck of dust away from the shield face. Removing the gauntlets from his jacket, he hung them from the edge of the shield, resting a solemn hand on them. He stood there quietly for a moment, clearing his throat again.

'I guess you can have those back. I still remember when you first gave them to me, back when we got the apartment. I guess we have strange tastes in moving in anniversary gifts, and coincidentally we'd both thought of the same thing. I remember being so embarrassed that you got me so many things; the shield, the gauntlets, a new jacket? And all I got you were the swords. It's a precious memory of mine.' He gazed wistfully at the stone. 'I love these weapons, I really do. But I don't need them anymore.' He patted the swords on his waist, smiling at the purple handle wrappings. 'I have you with me.'

The boy turned away from the grave, wiping his eyes with a hand. Kamina held a handkerchief out to him, but he waved it away as he paced down to where the twins were standing. They still didn't meet his eyes, and he watched Kamina place a bouquet of Orchids down on the smooth dirt covering her coffin. He sniffed to himself, wiping his nose with a hand, and Artemis made a quiet sound of disgust.

'Use a tissue for god's sake.' She grumbled, holding out a packet to him, and he took one gratefully. He wiped his nose, ignoring the girl as she made a face at him, and folded the tissue carefully before placing it into his pocket. Kamina bowed to the grave, a fist place over his heart, and jogged quietly down to meet them. Artemis and Apollo nodded to him, and they pushed themselves off the fence they were leaning against as they made for the nearby stairs. Jaye glanced back at the grave as they went. The sunlight gleamed dully off the stone surface, and for a moment he felt like he saw a twinkle out of the corner of his eye. He reasoned it was just the light reflecting off his shield and waved a silent goodbye to the gravestone as they went. Flipping up his collar, he felt a breeze blow past his face, and he followed it, squinting into the sunlight. His eyes widened slightly as it blew, a purple petal wrapped gently in its embrace, and he smiled at it as it rose out of sight. He turned his attention back to the road, where the twins were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Kamina had strolled on ahead to secure the ferry tickets, and Jaye placed a hand on the twins' heads. Artemis swore at him quietly, reluctantly allowing him to stroke her ears as he stared out over the city of Mire.

* * *

At the ferry terminal

* * *

'So where to now?' Artemis asked, sipping quietly from the cup of tea she had clutched between her fingers. Jaye crossed his fingers in front of his face, blowing onto them quietly. 'You never actually told us where we're going.'

The four were seated at the edge of the pier, legs hanging out over the water as they waited for their ferry to be ready to depart. Apollo chewed quietly on a bagel, adjusting his bow on his back as he got into a more comfortable position. The twins had managed to retrieve their weapons from the closet back in the inn where Jaye had hidden them while they were sleeping. Thankfully housekeeping in that place was lax, and it only took scaring the crap out of the new guests as they climbed in through the window to retrieve them. Crumbs tumbled down the front of the boy's shirt, and Artemis made a sound of disgust as she brushed them off her brother.

'To Haven. We're going to be meeting up with little Red and her gang of merry friends.' Kamina explained. 'They're Jaye's team from Beacon, or at least one of them is, and they could probably use our help.'

'We still need answers, and since coming here we've got a total of none.' Jaye said, folding his arms as he stared out over the docks. 'Hopefully we'll be able to find out more once we actually get to Haven.' He turned back to the twins. 'Speaking of finding out more, why are you two still here? You could've just left after the battle.'

The two sisters that fought Jaye back in the warehouse had vanished, leaving almost no trace of them behind aside from their shattered blades. The twins on the other hand, had stayed with the boys through the last week, and from the looks of it had no intention to kill them anymore. Artemis shrugged, taking a long sip from her tea.

'It's simple really. That night gave sort of a revelation to us. We've been taking easy answers from lying people for too long.' The girl ran a finger around the mouth of her teacup. 'We directed all our hatred at you three for our parents' death, but when Indigo passed, I felt nothing but sadness. I realized then that you might have been the guns, but you didn't pull the trigger. I could probably kill both of you and feel nothing but regret over what I'd done.'

'Our parents' murder meant something bigger. We're going to find out what that is, and who started it.' Apollo said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. 'And Indigo died because of us. To some degree, we owe you.'

'Don't say that. She protected you because she wanted to.' Jaye said, shaking his head, peering out over the bright blue ocean as he took a deep breath. 'She made her choice and paid the price with a smile. She gave her life to save yours, and I won't let her death be in vain.'

'Then it's settled.' Artemis placed her tea down on the table. 'We're coming with you, and that's final. Even if you don't want us to owe you, our current goals still align. So, working together would make the most sense.'

'True. But not entirely beneficial for us.' Kamina gave them a weak grin. 'Considering your performance at staying incognito when you were tailing us, it looks like we're going to have to start from the basics.'

'That's right. You lot suck at being covert.' Jaye sighed, shaking his head at the twins as he got to his feet. He stretched out his back, making a sound of satisfaction, and settled his hands into his pockets as he watched the waves move gently across the wooden docks. He raised an eyebrow at the sun, glaring down on them from the horizon, and raised a hand to block the beams that cast themselves across his eyes. 'We've got a lot of work to do, and you lot need to keep up.'

'Wouldn't have it any other way.' Artemis pushed herself off the wooden floorboards, extending her hand to the surly boy. Jaye raised an eyebrow at it, and she waved it impatiently. 'Hurry it up, my hand's getting cold.'

Jaye rolled his eyes, taking her hand in his. He shook it firmly, hesitating for a short moment before pulling the girl into a hug. Artemis made a sound of surprise, placing her hands gingerly on the boy's back. She closed her eyes, rubbing gentle circles into his broad shoulders and patting him on the back. He finally released her, and Artemis cleared her throat loudly.

'Well, that wasn't awkward at all.' She gushed, scratching her cheek. 'What was that for?'

'Dunno, kinda looked like you needed it.' Jaye said, returning his attention back to the waves. He smiled sadly at the ocean as he watched, a shadow passing briefly over his face as he took a deep breath. 'I guess I needed it too.'

'Don't worry, no one's forgetting you!' Kamina seized Apollo by the shoulders, wrapping the now struggling boy in a bear hug. Apollo groaned, punching the faunus boy as best as he could as he protested, and Jaye raised an eyebrow at the two as Kamina proceeded to baby the boy in the most embarrassing way he could think of. He shook his head hopelessly, sucking in the sea breeze, and returned to watching the waves.

* * *

On board the ferry

* * *

'I guess that face means you have questions.' Jaye reclined in the chair by the window, peering out of the circular cubby hole at the dark waters behind. The light bulb flickered for the fourth time that evening, and he glared his distaste at it. Artemis nodded her head.

'I'm going to be honest, in spite of everything that's been said, I'm still finding it a little hard to get over the fact that you killed our parents.' The faunus girl sighed, crossing her arms in thought. 'But I guess that's something we're just going to have to come to terms with.'

'If this is how difficult it is to reconcile one assassination, I don't think I'm going to enjoy the rest of them.' Jaye shook his head at the girl. 'But I suppose that's to be expected. Let me just say, I didn't want to kill them, I really didn't. But it was necessary to cement my position with the Faction.'

'I get that part. I'm guessing it was something like your trial by fire?' Artemis asked, and she sighed as Jaye nodded. She leaned forwards onto her knees, interlacing her fingers in front of her face. 'On the night you left, you took something; a brown pouch. What was that?'

'That, my dear, was something that risked the existence of the entire Faction.' Jaye said, earning a curious glare from the girl. He waved her away. 'I'm getting there, be patient.'

'It was our first assassination as a team. And our first mistake.' Kamina explained, tapping his fingers against the wall of the ship. 'The mission was simple; retrieve evidence that could be used to prove the existence of the Faction. If brought to the wrong hands, it could have exposed us to the governments.'

'The evidence was actually about corruption in one of the biggest dust production companies at the time besides the Schnees.' Jaye interjected. 'I forget the name, but they were a benefactor of the Faction and were currently under covert investigation by your parents over controversial labor laws.'

'Worst of all, it was child labor.' Kamina shook his head in disgust. 'Cheap and easy to obtain, especially in a Kingdom like Mistral where laws are about as effective as using a toothpick to stab someone.'

'Mistral facts aside, the way they were pulling children off the street was simple. They paid the Faction to deliver homeless kids to their doorstep, then hired them to work in their dust production lines for little more than half a meal a day and a straw bed.' Jaye rocked his chair back and forth, balanced precariously on the back legs. 'While that part couldn't really be linked back to the Faction directly, nor was there concrete evidence, it was the trigger that started your parents' investigation of the company. While digging around, they just happened to come across pieces of evidence regarding an abduction attempt of the Schnee Dust Company heiress, Weiss Schnee.'

The twins glanced across each other, and Jaye waved away their inquisitive faces.

'I'm getting there. The CEO of the company at the time, Wilfred Crooke, thought it would be a great idea to snuff out the Schnees so that they could gain a better foothold in the dust market. Therefore, kidnapping Jacques Schnee's daughter seemed like the perfect blackmail to force him to merge their companies' assets with Crooke taking full control.' Jaye made a "understand now?" gesture at the twins, who gave him a blank look instead. He sighed heavily, placing a hand on his face. 'Basically, the attempt failed, but recorded conversations plus a paper trail of money pointed heavily towards the existence of an underground association that dealt in these types of services.'

'It became too much of a loose end to be left alone, so we were ordered to make sure no one found a single shred of evidence about the Faction.' Kamina said, shaking his head. 'That meant killing anyone that could potentially have read the contents of the pouch. All just to make sure that the evidence, which would likely not have compromised the Faction in the first place, never got the chance to _potentially_ cause trouble for us. Sorry that you have to hear it from us, but your parents were killed by a maybe.'

'We're not proud of it.' Jaye sighed getting up from the chair and moving to the window. He stared out of the circular cubby hole, watching the waves pass gently by as they splashed against the ship hull. 'It was a necessary step to prove that we were important enough to gain a foothold in the hierarchy. And it did.'

'Considered as our first job, pulled off without a hitch. No faces caught on camera, no injuries, and no one who mattered survived. It sent a message; we were just getting started.' Kamina extended his claws briefly, running a cloth down the long blades. 'And start we did.'

'We gained a hell of a reputation at that point; running missions and assassinations for any number of clients.' Jaye placed a hand on the windowsill, drumming his fingers dully against the glass. 'In the end, we each gained reputations that were feared by all members of the Faction. Kamina was named the orange flash, as that was the last thing you'd see before death. Indigo was called the Untouchable; she was known for finishing most of her fights without a single scratch.'

'Jaye was named Niflheim for his cold demeanor and tendency to freeze people to the bone.' Kamina slapped the boy on the back, earning him a glare from the raven-haired boy. 'And Damian was the Airwalker, since his semblance was perfect for getting him around places undetected.'

'While he excelled at assassinations, Damian was the least well known out of the four of us.' Jaye said, folding his arms and leaning against the wall. 'He was known for being silent and deadly, what with his semblance letting him cross any surface without making a sound. No footsteps in the air, you know?'

'But he fell short in the combat department.' Kamina made a "what can you do about it" face. 'Not that he wasn't good, just that he was much better at assassinations. But that led to a lot of disrespect from the combat specialists in the Faction.'

The twins exchanged curious glances, and Jaye held up a hand to stop their questions.

'He was a finesse killer, but the Faction respected strength. With how his semblance was, it was tough for him to prove his strength in battles, since it would be tough for him to escape if he was detected.' He held up three fingers. 'I could just turn the place into a literal Niflheim if I needed to fight my way out. Kamina was basically a deadly, damn near light-speed ninja. Indigo could see attacks before they came. But all Damian could do was pace in the air.'

'Not the best semblance for group fights, you know?' Kamina shrugged. 'Great for getting in and out unseen and undetected, great for solo fights too since you could attack from any angle, but not so great if you've got like fifty people shooting at you while you run.'

'That caused a lot of resentment in Damian.' Jaye sighed, plopping down on the bed. He pulled his leg up, hugging his knee to his chest. 'He was determined to prove that he was better than us. And that led to all this.'

'He trained you to kill us. He did that to the two girls we saw that day as well.' Jaye sighed, dropping across the bed with a groan. 'Now we've got to be on the lookout for them too. Two more potential assassins coming for our lives, how wonderful. And here I was hoping we wouldn't have to be looking over our shoulders every five seconds.'

'Either way, it's time we strike back at the Faction. Damian might be dead, but he's not the only dangerous one. And we're…one short.' The room went quiet again, and the twins shifted awkwardly on their beds with bated breath as the two boys stared solemnly at the floor. Kamina shook his head.

'Sorry.' He smoothed out his shirt. 'But either way, you'll finally be able to get your revenge on the Faction. And sooner or later, you'll probably run into that benefactor we were talking about. We'll start hunting for information once we're in Mistral, but only after we meet up with little red and her merry friends. We've got some introductions to do.'

'I'm a little excited to meet this "little red" that you keep talking about.' Apollo finally spoke up, smiling a little to try to lighten the mood. 'She must matter to you a great deal.'

'She was my leader back in Beacon.' Jaye explained, rolling over on his bed, picking at the covers. 'I wouldn't say we were particularly close, but we got along.'

'He's dating her sister.' Kamina added. 'You'll recognize her the moment you see her. Tall, blonde, gorgeous. A little fiery, but Jaye's into that.'

'Shut it you.'

'Wait, I thought you were with Indigo?' Apollo blurted out. His sister punched him in the arm, and he made a "what?" gesture at her as he rubbed the spot. He swallowed nervously as he caught Jaye's eye, and the raven-haired boy sighed.

'We were together, but we weren't by the time you found us.' Jaye explained, getting up from his bed. 'I mean, she kissed Kamina right in front of you two. If we were together, don't you think I would've sent Mina in to search your room instead?'

Artemis frowned at the boy, folding her arms over her chest.

'Wait, you searched our room?'

'Huh, did I say that?'

'Yes, you did!'

'No I didn't.'

'Bullshit.'

'Oh would you look at the time.' Jaye pulled his sleeve back, staring at his bare wrist. 'It's skin-o'clock. That means it's time to sleep. I call dibs on the bathroom.'

An orange flash darted across the room, and Jaye swore as Kamina swung the bathroom door shut in his face. He cursed the faunus boy through the door, glancing over his shoulder at the now fuming twins. He heard sniggering from the other side, and he slammed his fist into the wood.

'Shut it you fox bastard! You're just as guilty as I am!'

'Sorry can't hear you, the water's too loud!'

'The water's not even running you daft arsehole!'

Artemis grabbed the boy by the shoulder, and Jaye sighed aloud to himself as he turned to face her. A stiff smile was plastered across her face, and Jaye crossed his arms at the girl.

'We did what we had to at the time. I stand by that decision.' Jaye declared, staring defiantly at the girl. 'You two were out to kill us anyhow, all's fair in love and war.'

'Oh make no mistake; I'm out to kill you right now.'

* * *

Next chapter is Mistral, yay!


	54. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

'Oh, will you give it a rest already? I already said I'm sorry!'

'You can't just go through a girl's things like that! There are some things you just don't do!'

'Well killing people is something you just don't do but I did that a lot.' Jaye rolled his eyes. 'Bite me.'

'Don't tempt me. I have fangs, that shit will hurt.' Artemis shoved her finger into the boy's face. Kamina stifled a laugh, turning his head to hide it, and the faunus girl rounded on him. 'You're not out of the woods yet either!'

'Okay! Literally anything else! Let's pay attention to it.' Jaye gestured articulately at the signboard in front of them. The four had arrived in Mistral without a hitch, surprisingly, and were currently looking for Haven Academy. And though the city of Mistral was large it wasn't that hard to find. Or it shouldn't have been, if not for that fact that Jaye couldn't find his head when it was stuck to his neck and the other three were being anything but helpful. He sighed as the signboard simply indicated several nearby bars and restaurants, though the bars sounded especially enticing at the moment.

'You know, we never really thought about it, but how are we gonna find little red?' Kamina pointed out, prodding at a nearby sign that looked like it was about to fall to pieces. 'Can you call her?'

'Yeah, I'll try.' Jaye said, pulling his scroll out of his pocket. He scrolled down to Ruby's contact, thumb hovering over his button. He screwed up his face in thought, pocketing the device again.

'What's wrong?' Apollo asked, and Jaye made a face of deep thought.

'On second thought, it might not be the best idea to call them right now.' Jaye leaned against the wall of a nearby restaurant, earning a weird look from a couple as they walked out the door. 'We know for a fact we're on the Faction's shit list, and we've got no guarantee that they haven't linked Damian's death back to us by now. We might want to lay low for a while first, lest we bring more trouble to their little gang. Small groups are harder to track than big ones, and at this point caution takes precedence over any reunions.'

'I agree. Where do we start?' Kamina said, raising an eyebrow at the boy. 'I've got no idea who to go to in Mistral, aside from the main Faction base that will most likely get us all killed. We were thinking that we might be able to get in contact with some of the information broker buddies, but well…'

The boys fell silent once again, and Jaye ran a hand down his katana handle. The twins glanced across the two boys, clearing their throats loudly.

'Well, if the two of you are stumped on what to do, maybe this is where we come in.' Artemis smiled at her brother, and Apollo took her by the hand. 'We might not look it, but we've been around the kingdoms quite a bit searching for you. That led to a lot of friends in not so savory places, but we do have a few favors we can call in.'

* * *

'You can't be serious.' Jaye shook his head at the pillar. The white, silken threads seemed almost to shimmer in the moonlight as they watched, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. The boy glanced behind him, raising an eyebrow at the multitude of people passing through the busy street. Artemis cleared her throat.

'Well, I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but we know a few people in there. At the very least it'll get us an audience with the Lil' Miss without any cash to spare.' The faunus girl's tail swished back and forth nervously. 'Though whether she helps us or not is still up in the air.'

'I hate deals like this.' The raven-haired boy grumbled. 'They'll always say something like "I'll be holding on to this favor then". Then you don't get a peep from them for an entire year. And just when you think all's square and everything's cool, they'll just pop back out of nowhere and demand that favor back. And it's almost always something worth way more than what you owed. Then they kill your dog, steal your car and burn your house down.'

'Well it's either that or we get around to asking in bars for some mild glimmer of hope.' Kamina frowned, placing a finger on his forehead. 'But from what we've heard of her, I'm guessing any information around town is owned by her anyways.'

'Lil' Miss Malachite was an information broker for the Faction a long time ago. At least, that's how she started out. Now she's got her own little gang of spiders spinning her webs around this city.' Jaye said. 'No one gets in or out without her knowing.'

'Which means she knows we're here, regardless of whether we like it or not.' Kamina sighed. 'So we either strike a deal to make sure she doesn't spread that info to whomsoever might very well be looking for us, or we take her out and take what she has.'

'Let's settle this amicably.' Jaye rolled his eyes. 'As much as I hate it, having her around would be quite convenient in the future. And if we can form a working partnership, even one formed on blackmail or threats, then even better.'

'Well now that we've got that settled.' Artemis flipped her hood down, exposing her ears to the wind. 'Time to go meet the devil.'

* * *

'Well, well, well, the infamous Jaye Ryder, right here on my doorstep. How ya doin sweetcheeks?' The plump woman smiled slyly at the four. Artemis and Apollo lowered their heads slightly in respect, but Jaye and Kamina simply raised their eyebrows at the woman. Jaye stepped forwards, ignoring the blatant aggressions from the two bodyguards, and plopped nonchalantly down on the chair. He picked at his nails, raising his eyebrow even further at the two guards, who returned to their positions at her sides as the blond woman waved them back. Her bob cut swayed as she tilted her head to look at the raven-haired blond.

'Malachite.'

'Oooh, feisty. I guess despite the name, you've got quite the fiery personality. Isn't that right, Niflheim?'

'I'd like to think so. Thought that name actually came from my semblance.'

'Good to know. I take it you're here for…business?'

'Not exactly.' The boy said, reclining in the chair. 'Think of it like an IOU.'

'Well.' The lady flicked her fan shut with an audible click. The bar went quiet for a moment, and Jaye raised an eyebrow at the tattooed arms around them. 'Now how abouts you scurry on home before I make you wish you'd left?'

'Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you.'

'Too bad you ain't me then.' Lil' Miss Malachite leaned back in her chair, flicking her fan open. 'You stroll on in here, not even a lien on the table, and you expect me to humor you by listening to you?'

'Funny how you still seem to be hearing every word coming out of my mouth.'

'Cute. Now get out before I throw you out.' The heavy-set woman snarled, flicking her fan shut. 'I've got nothing to give to you, Jaye bird. Get up or pay up.'

'I'll vouch for them, Lil' Miss.' A man in a purple scarf stepped forwards. He glanced briefly at the twins, who made subtle gestures of thanks his way. Jaye raised an eyebrow at the man, who gazed at him with something along the lines of contempt and grief. 'I know the lot, and I'll put in a word.'

'Well. That was unexpected.' The plump woman reclined in her chair, flicking her fan open again. The room finally turned away, and Jaye felt the eyes previously plastered to the back of his head turn back to their drinks and partners. He glanced at the man, giving him a subtle nod, and the purple scarfed man bowed his head in acknowledgement. He noticed the man's eyes flicker to his swords, and Jaye instinctively placed a protective hand over the purple handles. He turned back to the woman, who gave him a smug smile. 'I ain't never seen Sky vouch for nobody before.'

'I guess that means we're in business?'

'Guess so honey.' The blonde woman smiled widely at the four, and the twins squirmed a little in their seats. 'How're you two doing hmm? Still keepin' on keepin' on?'

'Yes Miss.' Apollo said meekly, avoiding her gaze. 'Just fine.'

'That's great you two. Good to see you again, it's been what, a year?'

'Year and a half.' Artemis cut in, rubbing her hands nervously on her thighs. The plump lady smiled at the faunus girl, and Artemis gave a nervous chuckle. Jaye cleared his throat.

'Back to the matter at hand.' The raven-haired boy drummed his fingers on the table impatiently, and the plump lady turned a scowl onto him. He scowled back, his fingers stopping flat on the tabletop. 'We're looking for some…unsavory information. Of the Faction kind.'

Lil' Miss Malachite's face immediately darkened at the word, and the guards stepped forwards in a fury. Jaye raised an eyebrow at the seemingly trigger-happy morons behind her and turned his gaze back to the woman. Malachite reset her facial expression, raising her fan into the air.

'And what makes you think I've got it? The last thing I want is to be associated with those bastards again.' She narrowed her eyes at the boy, who met her gaze with a nonchalant shrug. 'You came to the wrong place boy. Try again somewhere else, ya hear?'

'Oh I know you know.' The assassin leaned forwards, placing his elbows on the table. 'And I know you're going to give it to me.'

Malachite stared at the boy for a long moment, as if contemplating whether to laugh or throw him out on his face, and a smile broke across her pudgy lips as she threw back her head in laughter. She placed a hand on her chin, eyes gleaming dangerously as she stared at the boy. Jaye stared right back, raising an eyebrow at the woman as she flicked her fan open and began fanning herself.

'And how do you figure?' She made an "explain yourself" gesture at the boy, and Jaye spread his arms wide.

'You keep tabs on your enemies. Far more than you do your own people. You're the very definition of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.' He placed his elbows back down on the table. 'Nothing goes on in this town without you knowing about it, and that includes anything the Faction does. Information's easy to come by if you're looking for it in a town as big as this, and I know you've got eyes and ears everywhere. So, what the Faction knows, you know. And the only reason they haven't killed you lot yet is because you know things they don't.' He reclined in his chair. 'No one spins a web quite like a spider can.'

'Sound argument. Looks like you know your stuff, which is more than can be said for a lot of travelers round these parts.' Malachite raised a hand to her guards. 'Get us some…refreshments.'

The brown-haired bodyguard bowed her head, giving Jaye a cursory glare of distaste as she went to retrieve the drinks. He waved at her as she left, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head glaring at the cocky bastard. Jaye chuckled at the girl, turning his attention to the plump lady once more. Malachite smiled at him, and he felt his skin crawl a little, suppressing the urge to shiver. The bodyguard returned with two glasses, placing them down in front of them. Malachite raised her glass.

'So, I suppose ya'll lookin' for information about Faction allegiance here, and whether or not they know you're in town.' The woman asked, sipping pretentiously from her cup. Jaye sniffed the glass appreciatively, and Malachite rolled her eyes. 'I haven't poisoned that you know.'

'You can never take chances.' Jaye declared, downing the glass and gesturing for the henchwoman to refill the glass. Malachite waved, and the brown-haired bodyguard reluctantly returned to the bar for a refill. 'I'm also looking for some travelers, I need to know if they made it into town.' He placed his scroll down on the table, pulling up a photo of RRWBY. His gaze lingered on the blonde-haired bombshell for a moment, hugging her sister close to her chest, and placed a finger above the red-haired girls' head. He shook his head, returning his attention to Malachite. 'This girl was supposed to arrive at Haven academy some time ago, judging from a rough timeline. I need to know if she made it here, and if she has, where she is right now.'

'Easy enough. Anythin' else?'

'Yeah.' He flicked to a photo of JNPR, finger faltering a little as he spotted Pyrrha in the photo, smiling without a care in the world, and placed three fingers above the rest of the team. 'She ought to be with one or all of these three.' He took his scroll off the table. 'I'll send one of your guys the pictures, and you can let me know when you've found them.'

'Give us a week, we'll find your travelers.' Malachite flashed him a broad smile, swirling her glass. 'Rest assured, Lil' Miss always delivers.'

'I know you do. And I also know Lil' Miss is partial to hot cross buns.' Jaye said, picking the fresh glass off the table as the henchwoman set it down in front of him. He winked at her, and she scowled hard enough to burn a hole through his head. Malachite raised an eyebrow, and Jaye shrugged noncommittally. 'I know how you run this business, and there's no way you need a week just to find them. As for the situation with the Faction…well I think we both know you already know.'

'You got me.' Malachite raised her hands in the air, chuckling heartily at the smug boy. She flicked her fan shut, tapping it gently on the table. 'Fine. Five days, deal?'

'You have three.' Jaye said, downing his glass again. Malachite raised her eyebrow, signaling for a refill, but Jaye stopped her with a hand. 'The Faction may not want you dead for their own reason, but I have little in the way of forgiveness for…betrayals.' He placed the glass down on the table, spinning it leisurely on the spot. 'And you and I both know what I'm capable of.'

'Wouldn't dream of it hun. Cross my heart.' She drew a cross over her breast with a finger, making a pouty face at the assassin. 'Less' it bleeds out onto the floor.'

'I'll hold you to that one.' Jaye said, getting up from the table. 'Besides, it would be far more lucrative to have Niflheim owe you a favor, wouldn't you agree?'

* * *

Outside

* * *

'So, the Faction here is neutral huh. Surprising.' Jaye stretched out his arms. He was a little stiff from the deal earlier, and Kamina clapped him on the back.

'Good deal. Still got it huh, I'm surprised.' He complimented, and Jaye swore at him under his breath, rubbing his back.

'It's still as exhausting as I remember. I have enough trouble with normal conversations, let alone dealing with scammers and double crossers.' Jaye sighed, rubbing his neck. 'On the bright side, seems we can proceed as much as we want as long as we stay out of the way of the Faction. They're maintaining their neutrality with the Huntsmen academies, which is a good thing, but it means we're probably not getting any help against the White Fang.'

'Might be time to call in a few favors.' Kamina said, leaning against a nearby wall. 'You gonna call little red or not?'

'No. I think we'll let Malachite find her. Best for us to stay off the comms as much as possible. Even if the Faction here is neutral, no guarantee we don't have stragglers from Vale.' Jaye sighed, scratching his head. 'Plus, there's those two sisters who vanished that night. High chance they followed us here, and I don't want to have to deal with them. There's a chance they can track our comms.'

'Fair enough.' The fox boy said, placing his hand on Apollo's head. The shorter boy swore at him incessantly, swatting at his hand as Kamina proceeded to tousle his hair. 'Let's find somewhere dingy and nasty to stay in yeah?'

Jaye nodded to the fox boy and paused as the bar curtains opened once more. He raised an eyebrow as the purple-scarfed man, Sky, stepped out from the doorway, narrowing his eyes at the raven-haired boy. Jaye rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, turning himself sideways to face the man. Sky pulled down his purple scarf, and Jaye raised his eyebrow even further as he realized that the man was no more than a boy, maybe even younger than Kamina. He cleared his throat.

'Something we can help you with?' He asked, and Sky shook his head, smoothing out his scarf.

'Indigo.' He said, and Jaye tensed on his swords. His other hand crept to the blade, and he narrowed his eyes at the boy as Kamina extended his claws. Sky raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, pointing at the swords strapped to his waist. Jaye adjusted his grip on the handle.

'What do you want.' He spat, and Sky shook his head, gesturing again at the swords.

'Please tell me I'm wrong. Please tell me those aren't hers.' Sky's voice cracked as he spoke, and Jaye's eyes widened. He stood up straight, letting his hands fall to his sides.

'Sky.' He breathed, placing a hand on his forehead. 'I was wondering why that name sounded familiar.' He ran the hand down his face, and the twins glanced at him strangely. 'I should have realized from the start.'

'Oh.' Kamina sheathed his claws, getting up from his crouched position. Sky covered his mouth with his hands, and Kamina placed a hand on his shoulder. He shook the boy gently, glancing about the place.

'Come on, let's get off the street.'

* * *

Chapter 53 done. I'm adding new characters like nobody's business. I'd better find a way to keep track of them, but for now I apologize for any inconsistencies, I am trying my best.


End file.
